Robot Love

If advances in artificial intelligence continue, your next lover may have an on/off switch. Robots will become so human-like, having conversations, displaying and responding to emotions - that they will be very much like a new race of people.
Japan robots are taking over more and more jobs in the workforce. Some suggest that the Japanese society is more open to having robots run parts of their society.Honda engineers has created Asimo with 34 degrees of freedom that help it walk and perform tasks much like a human. Lightweight materials are used and combined with powerful computers with 34 servo motors throughout the body.
One of the latest advance creation of Japanese roboticist is the Actroid models. The skin is composed of realistic silicone that has internal sensors which allow the robot to react.
Communication: How it is done;

1. Microphones record the speech and this sound is filtered to remove background noise.
2. Speech recognition software is then used to convert the audio stream into words and sentences.
3. A verbal response is then given through speakers external to the unit. The robots also respond in limited ways to body language and tone of voice by changing their facial expressions, stance and vocal inflection

Kokoro's Actroid DER2 was developed with cutting-edge technology, including Advanced Media, Inc.'s voice recognition 'AmiVoice' support. The robot has an astonishingly human-like appearance and a great range of gestures and facial expressions.

Geminoid Hi-1 was built to look like its male co-creator, roboticist Hiroshi Ishiguro. It is controlled by a motion-capture interface and can imitate Hiroshi's body and facial movements. It can reproduce his voice in sync with his motion and posture. Hiroshi hopes to develop the robot's human-like presence to such a degree that he could use it to teach classes remotely, lecturing from home while the robot interacts with his classes at Osaka University.

Other interesting invention is the robotic fish that has been developed by scientists from Essex University which was shown in this video tested in a special tank at the London Aquarium. It works via sensors and has autonomous navigational control.