Robots, our new friends electric?

Fictional robots always have a personality: Marvin was paranoid, C-3PO was fussy and HAL 9000 was murderous. But reality is disappointingly different. Sophisticated enough to assemble cars and assist during complex surgery, modern robots are dumb automatons, incapable of striking up relationships with their human operators.

But that could soon change. Engineers argue that, as robots begin to form a bigger part of society, the new machines will need a way to interact with humans. In short, they will need artificial personalities.

This week, engineers, psychologists and computer scientists from across Europe will begin a major project that aims to develop the first robot personalities.

"What we're looking at here is long-term interactions between people and robots in real situations," said Peter McOwan of Queen Mary, University of London, coordinator of the £6.6m, EU-funded Lirec project. "The big question is: what sort of properties does a synthetic companion need to have so that you feel you want to engage in a relationship with it over an extended period of time?"

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