As robotics technology continues to become more lifelike, some humans are more than willing to engage in romantic relationships. We’ve already reported on a man willing to marry his robot partner, but how does a robot actually react to signs of affection and flirtation?
Ameca robot puts down flirtatious man
As it turns out, robot technology is becoming better at adapting to flirtatious men. At CES 2020, Engineered Arts’ Ameca robot was publicly displayed for the first time. While the robot technology has been shown off in YouTube videos, this is the first time it’s performed in front of a crowd.
In a TikTok video by vbunnygo, the Ameca robot was shown on stage performing for the first time. The video showed the robot recognising the Tiktok star’s bunny ears, saying “I see your rabbit ears” in its dry, robotic voice.
After the winsome interaction, a flirtatious man quickly asked the robot: “Do you have a boyfriend?” Ameca quickly responded: “I do not have a boyfriend. Are you asking for a friend?” The man immediately confirmed that he was “asking for me”.
In a quick-witted retort, Ameca explained: “I see. Unfortunately, I am not on the market. Robots do not have relations.” The robot then asked the man “Do you have a boyfriend?” which was met with applause. Finally, it concluded: “I'll take that as a yes. “
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Is the Ameca video real?
Vbunnygo’s Tiktok video is certainly a real moment filmed at CES 2022. However, there's no proof that the conversation had with the robot is real. While Engineered Arts is working on artificial intelligence capabilities for Ameca, they have not been confirmed to be at work here.
Instead, it's more likely that the robot is powered by a puppeteer and a voice actor to show an “ideal future” for the technology. However, it is possible that the voice lines are all pre-recorded lines for the robot. Maybe they were expecting cat calls.