Hooman Samani and team of researchers at the National University of Singapore have developed a robot that is designed to "imitate the human ability to love," according to a video posted by Reuters.
But it doesn't flirt or blush. The robot, which looks like a fuzzy round ball of white fur, flashes different colors when it's falling in love. Microphones and cameras enable the machine to "recognize its user and hopefully build a long-term relationship," Reuters reported. Lovotics, according to the Technology Review, is Samani's name for the study of "human, robot love."
The Technology Review adds that the goal of Samani's research is "bi-directional love between a human and a robot -- realistic, genuine, biologically-inspired love."
Popular Science explains the psychology behind the hardwiring:
Just as in human relationships, this human-robot love is based on interactions. The robot can become bored, jealous, angry, affectionate, or flat-out happy, all based on how the human object of its desire interacts with it. Most of this interaction takes place through touching--another analog to affectionate human interaction. The robot isn’t so cuddly, but give it some puppy love and it will love you back.
As robots become increasingly life-like, people have developed closer and closer relationships with these machines.
A company recently created what it called the world's first "robot girlfriend," a "sex robot" named Roxxxy. And robot-human love is no science fiction tale: Several years ago, a man, "Zoltan," decided to marry his robot girlfriend "Alice."
Watch Lovotics fall in love in the video below: [via Reuters]