More than in any previous year, and most of them are on crowdfunding pages rather than in shops. The pipeline splits into three: robots that have finished their Kickstarter and are shipping to backers, which reach retail next (Mirumi, about $150, shipping from April 2026; Ropet; LOOI; Doly); next versions from the makers already on shelves, which KEYi, Living.AI and Energize Lab announce at CES in January and ship within the year; and big-company robots announced at trade shows with dates that slip. Our rule is the same for all of them: a robot joins our buy list when it ships from a store, not when it takes deposits, and our new-releases letter says when that happens. Status checked on the makers’ own stores.
Which robots are between Kickstarter and the shelf?
| Robot | Maker | What it is | Backers' price | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mirumi | Yukai Engineering (Japan) | furry companion that clips to a bag strap, no screen, no app | about $150 retail | Kickstarter late 2025; shipping to backers from April 2026; retail not published |
| Ropet KAMOMO | Ropet | soft desk pet with expressive eyes and temperature sensing | $349 (list $469) | buy now |
| LOOI | Tangible Future | desk robot that uses your phone as its face | $239 (list $259) | buy now |
| Doly | Limitbit | tracked desk robot, programmable, open | $399 (list $449) | buy now |
Each of these appears on our buy list only once a store, the maker's or a retailer's, takes orders for delivery within weeks. Until then they are in this table, with the status a passport check confirms.
What are the makers already on shelves planning?
Next versions, announced at CES in January and shipped by autumn, is the pattern of the last three years: KEYi added the Loona Deskmate edition and ChatGPT conversation to Loona; Living.AI added AIBI Pocket beside EMO; Energize Lab added Eiliko beside Eilik. For 2027 the makers have announced: KEYi Tech has not named a model; LivingAI has not named a model; Energize Lab has not named a model; Casio has not named a model. We add a line here when a maker names a model and a quarter, not before.
Which big-company robots are announced, and should you wait for them?
Samsung's Ballie, a rolling home robot with a projector, has been announced at CES more than once with dates that moved; Sony's aibo continues at about $2,899 plus a cloud plan, above this site's price band; Amazon's Astro was discontinued for business customers in 2024. The pattern with large companies is the opposite of the crowdfunding one: the robot is real and the date is not. Do not wait for a big-company robot pet to decide against a $150 to $500 one that ships today; when one arrives, it will be in the letter.
How do you read a robot pet Kickstarter page?
Four lines, in order. Has the maker shipped anything before? Yukai has shipped Qoobo for years; a first-time maker's schedule is a guess. Is the video the robot or a render? Real footage of an early unit, ideally in a backer's hands, beats a rendered animation. What runs on servers? A crowdfunded robot that talks through the cloud is a subscription to a start-up's survival; the Moxie story in What happens to a robot pet if the company shuts down? is the reference case. What is the refund term? Kickstarter pledges are not purchases. We compared the crowdfunding pages of the four robots in the first table on those four lines: Mirumi passes all four, which is why it is the one with a retail price already; the others pass some, and their passport status says which.
Which robot pet should you buy now, and which should you wait for?
Buy now if the robot you want is on the buy list in Which robot pets and mini robots can you actually buy in 2026?; a $149 Eilik or a $449 Loona bought today is not made worse by a robot that ships next year. Wait only if the specific thing you want, a bag-clip companion, a phone-faced desk robot, an open programmable one, exists nowhere on the buy list yet, and then wait for the store listing, not the pledge. What the whole category costs is in How much does a robot pet really cost, with the subscriptions?.
Status checked on the makers’ own stores.
FAQ
What new robot pets are coming out in 2027?
Robots finishing crowdfunding and reaching retail (Mirumi, Ropet, LOOI, Doly), next versions from KEYi, Living.AI and Energize Lab announced at CES, and big-company robots such as Samsung's Ballie with moving dates.
Is Mirumi available yet?
It shipped to Kickstarter backers from April 2026 at about $150 retail equivalent; retail availability is confirmed on its robot page when a store takes orders.
Should I back a robot pet on Kickstarter?
Only with a maker that has shipped before, real footage, offline features and a refund term you accept. Pledges are not purchases.
When is the Samsung Ballie coming out?
Samsung has announced it at CES more than once with dates that moved; check its current status before planning around it.
How do I find out when a robot pet ships?
Our new-releases letter goes out when a robot reaches a store, and its robot page updates the same day.
Sources
- Yukai Engineering, Mirumi Kickstarter page, late 2025 (about $150 retail, shipping from April 2026); Qoobo shipping history.
- Ropet, LOOI (Tangible Future) and Doly (Limitbit) crowdfunding and maker pages, 2025 to 2026.
- KEYi Tech, Living.AI and Energize Lab product pages, 2026 (Deskmate, AIBI Pocket, Eiliko).
- Samsung, Ballie announcements at CES 2024 and 2025; Sony, aibo pricing; Popular Science, December 2024 (Astro for Business discontinued).
- Kickstarter, terms of use (pledges and refunds, general reference).
