This is MEmote 2.0, an updated beta build that serves as a test bed with which to explore the design needs of a robust social-therapeutic robot. These pictures reveal a lot about the design principles behind the little robot:

Here you can see MEmote’s Arduino-powered electronic innards. The use of off-the-shelf electronic components helps make MEmote affordable, but at the same time endlessly flexible and programmable in terms of behavior.

You can also see the way MEmote’s skeleton is constructed – its plastic “bones,” when disassembled, fit easily into a small, flat space, ideal for delivering MEmotes all over the country.

And of course, MEmote is even more adorable (and huggable!) with its fuzzy skin on:

MEmote’s large eyes allow it to express emotion, and also help encourage children with social difficulties to learn to make eye contact. Overall, MEmote is an interactive, expressive creature designed to be more approachable for children who find human social interaction overwhelming.