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Human beings, and many other animals, are extremely social creatures. We would have gotten to this point in civilization if we did not socialize, become friends, collaborate, etc. Everything we see around us is the product of people working together towards some common goal. Be that as it may, some people have a hard time being with others. Some people simply might not like company. Others, however, may yearn for human connection, but are stopped by nervousness or fear. This trait can be described in many different ways, but I will choose to refer to it as shyness from now on.
During this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Yukai Engineering unveiled "Mirumi", a small fluffy robot that clamps onto stuff like your arm or a bag as if it were a sloth. When turned on, Mirumi moves its head in various ways. When it detects a movement, it will turn its head towards that direction, for example. But, most importantly, it will also shyfully hide its face when you look at this for too long.
Mirumi exemplifies the "cute" aspect of shyness. It represents someone who is curious about things and wants to join in, but ultimately refrains from doing so. The cuteness factor is doubly reinforced by the fact that it also nuzzles its face against whatever it is holding after some time.
Let loose in the desert of Palm Springs in 2017, ShyBot is a robot that continuously runs away from any human it detects. Designed by Norma Jean, ShyBot's purpose is to avoid human contact at all costs. In fact, ShyBot became so good at it, that she ended up going missing for about year and a half before someone stumbled upon her in the desert.
While Mirumi represents someone who wants to join in but fears to do so, ShyBot is either so afraid of others that is perpetually runs, or just really dislikes being anywhere near another human being. Therefore, it showcases a slightly different type of shyness.
A New Creature
While I like how mobile ShyBot is, my image of shyness is better represented by Mirumi. Therefore, I propose a creature that, upon sensing a person entering the room, will try and run and hide from them at first, but after enough time passes will slowly start to warm up to the person, eventually getting close enough to be patted on the head. Ideally, the "warming up to you" progress would be reset whenever you start moving a bit too much before it gets too close.
This would mimic how some people truly long for connection, but often need a bit of time to step out of their comfort zone. I hope that this will then make people relate with the creature more.
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