Cat78

Cat78 is a fictional designation used in science fiction and educational contexts to describe a modular autonomous agent framework paired with a robotic cat companion. The concept is employed to illustrate software architecture, human–robot interaction, and AI safety without reference to a real-world product.

In the imagined chronology, Cat78 was developed in the early 2020s by the fictional research consortium Nebula Commons and the robotics firm FelineTech. The project aims to provide a configurable platform that combines plug-in modules for perception, decision making, and locomotion with a policy engine that constrains behavior to safe, interpretable actions. In-universe documentation presents an open-source reference implementation for teaching and experimentation.

Design and features: Cat78 uses a modular, service-oriented architecture. Its components include perception modules that process sensory input, a decision layer that blends rule-based controls with learned policies, and an actuator layer supporting cat-like locomotion and interaction cues such as gaze, tail movement, and purring-like feedback. The framework emphasizes explainability and failsafe overrides to prioritize user safety.

Impact and usage: Within its fictional world, Cat78 is used in university courses, interactive exhibits, and storytelling to demonstrate modular AI design and human-centric robotics. It is frequently cited in discussions about responsible AI for consumer robotics and as a case study in open-source educational resources.