As humans work to become less socially robotic these days, robots are becoming more human-like. With recent advancements, robots could be shifting shapes, helping manage your emotions and much more. Japanese researchers from the RIKEN Guardian Robot Project have created Nikola, an android kid capable of communicating six basic emotions – anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness and surprise. Three studies published in February in the journal Frontiers in Psychology demonstrated the robot's potential to portray human-like emotional facial expressions, an industry first for androids. The bot boy's face has 29 devices (pneumatic actuators) that control artificial muscle movement through air pressure allowing it to move like the real muscles in a human face.

One important aspect is the need to have good training data to work from,

The Human Choice and Computers conference is taking place in Manchester, UK and exploring themes related to technology and human intimacy. Experts from the fields of psychology, human behavior and technology are gathering to discuss the impact of tech innovations on wider society. When it comes to the emergence of AI (artificial intelligence) and "robot dolls" in particular, it is said that "robot love" could become addictive enough for it to even be able to overtake human-on-human intimacy. The fear of "The Robots Taking Over" has been well documented, and even world renowned scientist Stephen Hawking once said that "the development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race," and with any diminishing impact on real human contact, this could literally be the case. In a world where robot technology is able to achieve the same or even better results than a human can, then in the case of robot sex dolls, it could eventually lead to many also deeming amorous encounters with a robot as being better than that with another human being. Robot encounters will certainly require little to no emotional attachments, and no requirement to be rated in terms of ability.

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