Overview

• Researchers from the University of Guelph and University of Toronto placed Luka in 19 Canadian households in 2021 to help preschoolers learn to read.
• By 2025, 18 families continued storing Luka even though its reading-assistance function was obsolete.
• Children anthropomorphized the white-and-red device as siblings, pets or constant friends and integrated it into daily rituals.
• Parents described Luka as part of their family history and preserved it on shelves or nightstands as a nostalgic keepsake.
• The study highlights that simple social cues can drive enduring human–machine attachments and foresees homes accumulating active and retired robots.