YUKAI Engineering Inc.
Qoobo
This award is very close to my heart—it’s named after my book “Gadget Nation”—which is all about small companies and individual “Mom & Pop” inventors taking an idea and turning into, hopefully, a game changing new product. Searching the CEATEC show floor this year, we were all looking for a product that captured the “Gadget Nation” spirit—and we found it – it’s a pillow— covered in fur with a very life-like tail. This odd looking device is called QOOBO (Ku-Bow) by Yukai (U-Ki) Engineering. At first glance it seems like a peculiar pillow trying to mimic a cat—maybe something gimmicky that a teenage girl would want on her bed. BUT when I learned the target consumer was seniors and that the interactive nature of the pillow could actually reduced anxiety, depression and loneliness—that’s when I knew we found this year’s Gadget Nation winner. In addition to the honor, the winning product gets to travel around the US with me and I will be demonstrating “Ku-Bow” on 10 television shows in Washington DC, Minneapolis, Chicago, Dallas, Seattle and more.
