If you own a pet there’s a good chance you’ve experienced some form of pleasant finger nibbling. It’s a bit odd to admit, but we mustn’t lie to ourselves! Now, if you’d like to experience the same peculiar sensation without all of the slobber and frequent hand washingOpens in a new tab, the Japanese company Yukai Engineering has you covered. Meet Amagami Ham Ham: the robot animal that loves to nibble on your digits.

Design TaxiOpens in a new tab picked up on Amagami Ham Ham, which is a robotic stuffed animal of sorts that aims to duplicate the act of play biting. “I believe many people would like to enjoy the feeling of pet and baby play-bites over and over again,” Masahiro Shiomi, the director of the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International in Japan, says on Yukai Engineering’s websiteOpens in a new tab. Shiomi, who offers his expert opinion vouching for the adorable bots, adds that “[Amagami Ham Ham] will be a presence that fulfills such needs through various play-biting.”
🎊 新登場「#甘噛みハムハムOpens in a new tab」
— ユカイ工学|Yukai Engineering (@yukaikk) January 4, 2022Opens in a new tab
そっと指を差し出すとペットや赤ちゃんが小さな歯で
ムニムニと柔らかく食む魅惑のしぐさ。しかし、心を鬼にして注意しなくてはならないもどかしさ。そんな葛藤から全人類を解放します。
👇甘噛みハムハムをみるhttps://t.co/VXCbvZnUVJOpens in a new tab
*2022年春クラファン予定 pic.twitter.com/czwcSXc34zOpens in a new tab
Yukai plans on offering two versions of Amagami Ham Ham—as Digital Trends notesOpens in a new tab Amagami means “soft bite” in Japanese, and “Ham” also means “bite”—including a Shiba Inu dog and a cat. The dog, Kotaru, is light brown in coloration and does indeed look like a cuddly Shiba Inu. The cat, Yuzu, is brown, black, and white, and we’re guessing is a calico? Although that’s not official. Don’t chew our fingers off if we’re wrong.
As for functionality, Digital Trends says that the eight-inch-tall fluff-bots have 24 “different methods” of biting one’s fingers. These methods include “Tasting Ham, Holding Tight HAM, and Massaging HAM” amongst others. Apparently the Hams rely on “HAMgorithms”—that’s literally what they’re called—and the bots choose a nibble type at randomOpens in a new tab.

Unfortunately, Yukai still needs to implement a successful crowdfunding campaign before it can bring these HAMs to market. Although Yukai, along with collaborator Liv Heart Corporation, has already been successful with QoobooOpens in a new tab; a faceless, headless, limbless cushion with a wagging tail. (Excuse us while we go and cuddle our real pets out of sheer terror.)
Feature image: Yukai EngineeringOpens in a new tab