They built Hugbot for heavy industrial work, a hulking frame of iron and reinforced steel that could have spent his days lifting cargo or welding ship hulls. But somewhere in his core programming, there bloomed an unexpected warmth, a desire for connection that couldn’t be contained by mere metal. His most distinctive feature, a pair of soft, rubber-baffled arms, came about through his own tinkering, replacing standard-issue manipulators with something gentler.

Now Hugbot moves through the world like a gentle giant, his massive form casting shadows that dissolve into comfort as those rubber arms extend, offering embraces that feel like being wrapped in the world’s safest blanket. The contrast never fails to make people smile: this tank-like robot with the soul of a teddy bear, whose cooling fans whir contentedly with every squeeze, and whose iron chest somehow manages to feel as warm as a hearth despite his industrial origins.