Emotibots: Humans Falling in Love with Robots

Today, the London Science Museum hosted an “Emotibots” exhibition which showcased emotionally-interactive robots. While it is widely speculated that one day robots will become a race of their own (as seen in movies I-Robot, A.I., and Wall-E), it has yet to happen. But, we may be moving closer and closer in that direction with these “Emotibots.”

Humans, particularly college students, would probably just want a robot for the sake of service and chores—think Screech’s robot from Saved By The Bell. Who wouldn’t want that? Yet, the makers of Heart Robot have proven that humans have many more needs which robots can fulfill.

Heart Robot is a child-sized puppet/robot that responds to people emotionally. It (or should I say he?) has feelings, so he should act the same way a human would to your actions. Try hugging him and he will become relaxed, but shake the robot violently and you’ll upset him. So just like you wouldn’t shake a real person violently, you shouldn’t shake Heart Robot either--unless, of course, you need to take your anger out on someone or something. That’s just plain cruel, though.

If getting emotional isn’t your thing, try Zeno, an ideal conversationalist to keep you company in your dorm; CB2, a huge baby robot to take care of when you don't feel like going out—"Sorry guys, couldn't find a babysitter. Maybe next time"; or even Wall-E, who will entertain you for hours on end if you don't mind hearing his name every thirty seconds.