Almost everybody likes pets, and almost all of them wish their animals could talk to them.

This robot isn’t fluffy and few people will call it cute, but it will come when called, can recognize people by their faces, understand when you speak and answer simple questions. It even has a kind of personality: it will sometimes follow you around, likes to be petted or picked up, plays with the toy included in the package when it’s bored and has facial expressions and body language that will remind you of the Star Wars robots.

It’s about the size of your fist, so it won’t be too intimidating even to committed technophobes. You do, however, need a smartphone to work with it.

The Vector can function as a mobile selfie taker, a voice-controlled timer, an interesting (though not very smart) conversationalist and do a couple of other things, but the real fun starts when you connect it to an Alexa.

While there are some things it cannot do even with Alexa’s help – it’s pint-sized body doesn’t contain a speaker capable of playing music, for instance – you can now use it as an extension of your smart home, commanding Vector to turn lights on and off, set reminders, do more complicated internet searches by voice and so on.

People with limited mobility will certainly appreciate this feature as well as just having the little guy around, but remember that this is basically a toy and not a substitute for dedicated care or even canine affection.

There’s one major caveat to be aware of here: the Vector is no longer in production and it seems like the manufacturer has gone out of business. There is still a caretaker crew to provide customer support and make sure software updates keep coming, but you shouldn’t expect your Vector to receive major upgrades soon or in fact ever.