Funktionide, a pillow-like robot invented by German designer Stefan Ulrich, has special sensors that react to human touch to show when it is happy or in love. But Stefan reckons robots could one day completely replace the need to have a boyfriend or girlfriend.
It has been invented by German designer Stefan Ulrich and can wrap around its owner and even give them a cuddle. This conceptual shape-changing robot is used to relieve loneliness, using artificial muscle technology.
Funktionide reacts to pressure, skin temperature and color to produce a response like a human reaction. In August, Telenoid R1 has been invented by Japanese Hiroshi Ishiguro. The robot represents the size of a small baby but has no arms or legs.
In the past Hollywood has been fascinated with the idea of robots that can feel emotions. There have been hundreds of films on the subject, including Short Circuit and more recently I, Robot.
A webcam picks up the user's movement and features and made the robot copy it. "If we embrace it, we have the feeling that we embrace the friend."
It has been invented by German designer Stefan Ulrich and can wrap around its owner and even give them a cuddle. This conceptual shape-changing robot is used to relieve loneliness, using artificial muscle technology.
Funktionide reacts to pressure, skin temperature and color to produce a response like a human reaction. In August, Telenoid R1 has been invented by Japanese Hiroshi Ishiguro. The robot represents the size of a small baby but has no arms or legs.
In the past Hollywood has been fascinated with the idea of robots that can feel emotions. There have been hundreds of films on the subject, including Short Circuit and more recently I, Robot.
A webcam picks up the user's movement and features and made the robot copy it. "If we embrace it, we have the feeling that we embrace the friend."
