Contact between Navel Robotics and the FHNW School of Business has existed since March 2021. At that time, it had not yet been decided whether Navel, the social robot, should be equipped with a spherical body or with wheels for locomotion. Claude Toussaint, the founder and inventor, discussed this and other questions with Prof. Dr. Oliver Bendel. He decided in favor of wheels, unlike the Mirokaï models by Enchanted Tools – the female Miroka and the male Miroki – which today zip around like BB-8. Navel stands out for its large, seemingly round eyes. This effect is created by a special lens, as the displays themselves are not curved. In the case of the Mirokaï robots, the face – including eyes, nose, mouth, and facial expressions – is projected onto a face shell, similar to the Furhat heads. The contact between the company and the university continued. On February 18, 2024, Claude Toussaint joined the elective module “Social Robots” remotely, and on June 6, 2024, he was a guest at the Future Lab hosted by Oliver Bendel at Learntec. In November 2025, Navel Robotics was able to announce on its website: “Many customers have been waiting for this moment – we have too … From now on, Navel will gradually learn to move independently in environments such as stations and residential areas. ‘Navel, please come to me’ – the first step toward autonomous driving.” (Navel Robotics website, own translation) In nursing homes and assisted-living facilities, social robots of this kind can be useful, as can assistive robots such as Lio, which are capable of physically manipulating objects. Miroka and Miroki combine both worlds: they are advanced assistive robots and fully fledged social robots. The future will show which approaches prevail (Photo: ICSR).
BY OLIVER BENDEL
