Be my Valentine? Ultimate ‘Kissenger’ love robot wants you

An earlier model of the Kissinger bot.
Credit: Lovotics

It’s the quiet type but lives only for you. The new ‘Kissenger’ (kiss messenger) robot from the Lovotics company in Singapore will be the most romantic machine yet invented. “We are making progress with hugging functionality, so the robot can transmit kisses and hugs together,” CEO Hooman Samani told Metro.

The new Kissenger represents an advance on Lovotics designs that would allow users to transmit a kiss to a partner or a digital character online, using ultra-sensitive material for the lips. Samani will make an official announcement on the new bot on february 27, but cannot disclose a release date until “ethical tests” are passed to safeguard the user.

Lovotics have also pioneered imitation hormones in robots, so that it can share feelings of anger, passion and even jealousy with its human friend. The device is trained by observing love behavior in humans through a powerful network of cameras and sensors.

“You can deconstruct love into an abstract concept, and once you have that you can programme it,” said Professor Maarten Lamers of the LIACS computer science institute in Holland. “The momentum toward robot-human relationships is extremely high.”

Researchers believe there is a vast market for the love-bot should it pass tests. “The biggest application will be for people who find relationships difficult and will realize they can fill that void,” David Levy, artificial intelligence expert and author of ‘Love and Sex with Robots’, told Metro. “It’s only a matter of time before entrepreneurs produce a machine sophisticated enough to fall in love with – I predict this will happen in the next 30 years.” If Samani is right, it could be much quicker.

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  Lovotics robot can be your Valentine