Heart Robot loves to be hugged, express emotions

Here's your afternoon dose of cuteness, ready or not. David McGoran's Heart Robot has made its way into London's Science Museum, and for good reason. This intelligent robot not only possesses a face with moving eyes and an external heart that blinks depending on what's happening, but it actually encourages people to hug and cuddle it like a real human. Seen as being "among the first robots to signify a new era of emotional machines used for medical treatment and enjoyment," this creature could one day become a mainstay in nursing homes where the elderly could interact with it and hopefully benefit in some metaphysical manner. Check out the read link for a video oozing with adorableness.

[Via TimesOnline]

[Giroro Posted Jul 30th 2008 2:07PM]

CREEPY!

[OneLove Posted Jul 30th 2008 2:17PM]

um...yeah.

[bsm0f0 Posted Jul 30th 2008 2:31PM]

I pulled this up just as my boss was walking by ... thank you Engadget, for scaring the shit out of both of us.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 2:36PM]

you've got a cool boss; me i'm still relying on dear old Alt-Tab

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 2:41PM]

Keep your company's e-mail open in one tab and Engadget in the other tab. When he comes by just hit CTRL+Enter and they won't have a clue.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 10:08PM]

hey, is me or is that robot grabbing its crotch?

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 31st 2008 11:33AM]

LIREC (Living with Robots and Interactive Companions) is an European Union project that, according to this article http://www.internetevolution.com/author.asp?section_id=526&doc_id=155718&f_src=flffour , had announced the development of emotional bonding for robots and for them to have different personalities (and act differently based on that). Check out the article, it's truly amazing things.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 2:08PM]

That's convenient, because I hate to be hugged and I have no emotions.

[xCrunk Posted Jul 30th 2008 2:08PM]

"I hate my yellow teeth!"

[Frun Posted Jul 30th 2008 2:15PM]

Well stop drinking that crunk juice then. Then get FF with ABP

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 3:07PM]

IT Skills and Solutions

[KAL326 Posted Jul 30th 2008 2:19PM]

I wonder if being pressed between a concrete slab and a shovel repeatedly counts as hugging? If so count me in.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 2:23PM]

yeah, super creepy, it looks like a leper/mummy/burn victim, no offense to those that are lepers, mummys, or burn victims.

[maty Posted Jul 30th 2008 2:23PM]

I for one welcome our cute, adorable overlords.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 2:42PM]

Are we seeing the same picture maty?

[Shane Posted Jul 30th 2008 2:24PM]

Cute yet somewhat creepy at the same time...

Let the robot uprising begin...

[GhettoBanjo Posted Jul 30th 2008 2:25PM]

Does it...uhhhh...have a hole?

[OneLove Posted Jul 30th 2008 5:30PM]

do you?

[Blackfeather Posted Jul 30th 2008 2:25PM]

I half expected that spider-bot to lunge at the sock-monkey-bot and stab it through its heartlight...

[Blackfeather Posted Jul 30th 2008 2:26PM]

...or at least that's what I would have done.

[PGPProtector Posted Jul 30th 2008 2:26PM]

First look at that image I was thinking what the heck did they find.

Now I find that it was designed to look like that ???

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 2:29PM]

WHAT IS THIS THING YOU HUMANS CALL .... LOVE?

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 2:30PM]

someone's been raiding Tim Burton's closet again

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 31st 2008 8:27AM]

haha thats what i thought, then i found someone else intentionally designed it like that

i thought the picture was one of engadgets trying to be funny things.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 3:30PM]

now only if they could make one that doesn't look like the kids from the film "Pink Floyd: The Wall"

http://rugbyfootball.com/temp/pink.jpg

http://www.thewallanalysis.com/Pictures/MovieShots/FullSizeShots/Brick2-6.JPG

Truly gross.

Ethan

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 2:38PM]

Why do robot makers see the elderly as their big demographic? Do they think old people want robots for companions or caretakers? I don't think so.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 3:19PM]

No, but they think/know that the elderly's children want to give robots to the elderly to serve as companions so they don't have to spend so much time with them.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 2:39PM]

That's disturbing.... Just gives me the heeby jeebies.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 3:53PM]

heeby jeebies? who are you, Louis Fucking Armstrong?

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 2:43PM]

Does this thing remind anyone else of the hand-animated Tool videos from Undertow? Yeah - having this thing in real life would give me nightmares.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 2:44PM]

It's just so damn cute and cuddly. Makes me want to have it exorcised or burned at the stake.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1427/714265847_4b85d2784c.jpg?v=0

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 2:48PM]

Great, all we need now is a complaining robot..

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 2:46PM]

That spider robot is so cool :D, I want to see more of that in action, I would love to buy one too!

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 2:51PM]

Perfect, and I just stopped having those nightmares.

[Kizorblade Posted Jul 30th 2008 2:52PM]

I'd rather hug my printer than that. It looks bloody creepy!

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 4:38PM]

Does it have eyeballs in its palms? Looks like the pale man from Pan's Labyrinth.

[J Acheson Posted Jul 30th 2008 3:03PM]

That thing looks like Jason Voorhees.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 3:11PM]

Its cheaper to make the real thing and then only visit on Father's day.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 3:13PM]

Not cool. If we think they can feel, it will make it harder to kill them when the time comes.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 3:25PM]

One word: TERMINATOR

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 5:45PM]

Who the hell would WANT to hug that thing? It looks like the lame off-spring of a Glo-Worm doll from the 80s and ET.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 4:18PM]

No disassemble. Johnny 5 alive!

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 4:58PM]

"No disassemble..." that just made my day

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 5:54PM]

Uh oh, you shouldn't have encouraged me. Remember the main song of the movie; Who's Johnny? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jaWPQ3Z7FE

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 1st 2008 3:14PM]

PLEO was doing this a long time ago, showing emotion that is!

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 5:01PM]

With progress like this what future do you think we're heading towards more. Companion robots like in iRobot & A.I. or Cyberdyne Systems (Terminator) & the Matrix? hmmm

[Vander Posted Jul 30th 2008 5:04PM]

mmmm mmmm...Is this the Emo version??

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 5:16PM]

Introducing the new King Tut Teletubbie.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 6:58PM]

saw this at the museum in London

http://www.webxact.co.uk/2008/07/robots-do-have-emotions-you-know.html

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2008 7:00PM]

Yep i saw this "Heart Robot" as it was recently at London's Science Museum.

http://www.webxact.co.uk/2008/07/robots-do-have-emotions-you-know.html