Luchik is designed for those who want a pet but cannot have a live animal. Conversations, games, and daily attention will become a way to care for it. We will examine the role that physical presence, character, and expressive reactions of the character play in such interaction.

Among the potential users are tech enthusiasts, older adults, and individuals who spend a lot of time alone. The design also considers people who would like a pet but cannot keep an animal due to rental regulations or infrequent home occupancy. The interview and presentation of the first prototype will help refine the needs of these groups and gauge interest in purchasing.

Conversations and games will bring more life and joy to Luchik’s reactions. After a long pause, he will start to feel lonely, and a new meeting will rekindle his interest. His mood will be evident in his facial expression, while his voice and posture will complement his response.

The user will be able to ask Luchi a question, tell it about their day, or suggest a game. Voice commands will allow them to select a mode and an action. In the game «Rock, Paper, Scissors, ” Luchi will recognize a gesture in front of the camera; in „Guess Who, ” it will guess a word based on a description; and in „Chase, ” it will track a toy in the camera’s view. Movement and orientation will need to be tested on a physical prototype.

A digital design has been developed for Luchik, with some parts partially printed for assembly. Renders have been created, and the character’s color palette and screen appearance have been selected. The voice command processing and LiDAR room scanning have been tested separately. The physical prototype still needs to be assembled and tested by integrating these functions with the remaining modules.

The working business model involves selling a home AI pet after verifying user interest, the design, and the manufacturing cost. Testing with the first demonstrator will help us understand which scenarios people need and what requires refinement. We will determine the price, the contents of the kit, and the possibility of a small production run after these tests and a cost calculation.

We require a workshop for printing and assembly, engineering support to verify the structure, and software assistance to integrate the scenarios. For the physical prototype, we plan to use a Raspberry Pi for local sensor data processing and control, and external AI models for conversational capabilities. The scope of procurement and budget will be determined based on the final stand design and the results of initial testing.