Robots now have emotions!

You might do a double take when you see the new interactive robots, as they look very much like real people from the inside out.

Newly developed emotional robot "Ren Sisi" looks very much like a real woman. [Photo: VCG]

A pair of emotional robots developed by Hefei University of Technology has attracted much attention from Chinese Internet users. The pair, named "Ren Sisi" and "Ren Xiangxiang," (or "the thought of human beings" in Chinese) not only look like real people, but also have the same actions and expressions with human beings.

Professor Ren Fuji, a developer of the robots, said that Ren Sisi and Ren Xiangxiang can use facial recognition to pick up on sadness or hostility, as well as use voice recognition to hear people's concern.

Emotional robot "Ren Xiangxiang," which was developed by Hefei University of Technology, is displayed on December 5, 2017. [Photo: VCG]

"Ordinary intelligent robots can accept people's instructions and execute them. But the emotional robot has a 'heart.' When 'talking' with a man, the emotional robot can judge the person's emotional state from his language, spirit and action; then the robot can give a response and interact with him," added Ren Fuji.

Professor Ren and his R&D team have been working on the development of emotional robots in recent years. They say they hope the robots can become companions for senior people.

A visitor talks with interactive robot Jia Jia during the World Robot Conference 2016 in Beijing, on October 20, 2016. [Photo: VCG]

Anhui's provincial capital Hefei has looked to become China's interactive robot hub. In 2016, a new interactive robot, named "Jia Jia," was unveiled by the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei. In April this year, Jia Jia did a live interview with Kevin Kelly, a U.S. journalist and technology observer. The interview was hailed by scientists as "having symbolic significance," as it was the world's first interactive conversation between an "AI reporter" and a human being.