Korea’s Robocare Launched Home Care Companion Robot “Cami-Friends” in July — Recruits 60-Day Trial Group, Exhibits at October Trade Show
A Korean care-robot company has launched a small robot that follows people around the home, watches over them and holds conversations. We could not confirm the actual selling price, and no sales in Japan have been announced.
Key points of this news
- In July 2026, Robocare launched “Cami-Friends,” a home robot for conversation and monitoring. It can be purchased from the official website, and there are hands-on spaces at department stores and elsewhere[2][6]
- In September 2026, it recruited a trial group of 30 households to use the robot at home for 60 days. If participants do not buy it after the trial, it is collected free of charge[4]
- It is scheduled to exhibit at a trade show at COEX in Seoul from October 21 to 23, 2026[5]
- No price is listed in the sources we could check. There has also been no official announcement of sales in Japan, Japanese-language support or Japan radio certification (Giteki) (as of October 3, 2026)[1]
Robocare is a Korean care-robot company known for products such as the cognitive training robot “Silbot”[5]. Its home robot “Cami-Friends,” an AI robot combining conversation, safety management and daily-life support in a single unit, was reported as launched in news coverage on July 2, 2026[2].
What can Cami-Friends do?
Here is what the official website and various news reports say.
- Monitoring and safety: Fall detection using vision AI. When it recognizes an abnormality, it notifies guardians. An app for guardians’ remote monitoring is also provided[2]. The official website lists “call detection,” “home CCTV” and “emergency response”[1]
- Conversation: Uses generative AI to understand the user’s emotions and the flow of conversation. It advertises conversation in five languages, including Korean[2]. Which languages they are is not stated in what we checked
- Mobility: Follow mode that tracks the user, seeing them off when they go out, greeting them when they come home, and automatic charging[1][3]
- Daily-life management: Reminders and management for waking up, meals and medication, health measurements, and cognitive training content[1]
- Size: About 35 cm tall and about 3 kg (pre-launch coverage on March 29, 2026)[3]
Pre-launch coverage reported that it is intended for use not only by older people but also by households with dogs[3]. A function that, on voice command, checks booking times at golf driving ranges or swimming pools and even makes the reservation was described at the time as “under development”[3]. We have not been able to confirm whether it is included in the current product.
- Name
- Cami-Friends (케미프렌즈)[1]
- Manufacturer
- Robocare (Korea)[1]
- Intended users
- Older people and single-person households. Also intended for households with dogs[3][5]
- Size
- About 35 cm tall, about 3 kg (pre-launch coverage)[3]
- Release
- July 2026 (Korea). Available on the official website; hands-on spaces at three department stores and electronics retailers[2]
- Price
- Could not be confirmed (purchase and subscription entry points exist)[6]
- Trial group
- 60 days, 30 households. Applications closed September 18, 2026[4]
- Trade show
- October 21–23, 2026, COEX, Seoul[5]
- Availability in Japan
- Not released in Japan. No official announcement regarding sales in Japan, Japanese-language support or Japan radio certification (Giteki) (as of October 3, 2026). The official website’s language switcher offers Korean and English[1]
What this means for readers in Japan
As far as we searched Google News Japan and major outlets for Cami-Friends on October 3, 2026, we found no Japanese-language articles reporting its launch or the trial group. Robocare’s home robot plan itself appears to have been introduced before launch by the Korea news site KoreaWave (we only checked the search result summary; the article itself could not be opened)[7]. We have not found any Japanese-language article following developments after the launch. We cannot guarantee that this search was exhaustive.
We found no mention of plans to enter Japan on Robocare’s official website or in news coverage.
Product: Cami-Friends
Sources and primary information
- Primary sourceCami-Friends official website (Robocare)
https://www.camifriends.co.kr/Checked: October 3, 2026 (functions, purchase path, language switcher; no price or detailed specifications listed) - News coverageEdaily, “로보케어, 가정용 반려·돌봄 로봇 ‘케미프렌즈’ 출시” (Robocare launches home companion and care robot “Cami-Friends”) (July 2, 2026)
https://edaily.co.kr/News/Read?mediaCodeNo=257&newsId=03535846645510584Checked: October 3, 2026 (release date, functions, sales method; no price listed; photo source) - News coverageElectronic Times (ETNews), “로보케어, 반려·돌봄 로봇 ‘케미 프렌즈’ 7월 선봬” (Robocare to unveil companion and care robot “Cami-Friends” in July) (March 29, 2026)
https://www.etnews.com/20260329000015Checked: October 3, 2026 (size, weight, pre-launch plans) - News coverageIlgan Sports (isplus), “로보케어, AI 반려로봇 ‘케미프렌즈’ 60일 홈 체험단 모집” (Robocare recruits 60-day home trial group for AI companion robot “Cami-Friends”) (September 15, 2026)
https://isplus.com/article/view/isp202609150051Checked: October 3, 2026 (trial group conditions) - News coverageAving, “로보케어, 2026 홈케어·재활·복지전시회서 반려 돌봄 로봇 ‘케미프렌즈’ 선보여” (Robocare showcases companion care robot “Cami-Friends” at 2026 home care, rehabilitation and welfare exhibition) (October 2, 2026)
https://kr.aving.net/news/articleView.html?idxno=1814987Checked: October 3, 2026 (trade show dates and venue; organizer’s official page not checked) - Primary sourceRobocare official shop
https://robocareshop.co.kr/Checked: October 3, 2026 (purchase and subscription entry points confirmed; no price listing could be found) - News coverageKoreaWave, “Supporting walking, and a conversation partner at home… Korea’s coming ‘one robot per person era’”
KoreaWave articleOnly search results checked (article could not be opened due to a 403 error)
Update history October 3, 2026: Published