He can already see, hear, smell and carry things. Pretty soon it should be able to monitor human health signs just by being in the same room.

And best of all, he's soft and cuddly like a plush toy and has a face somewhere between the Pillsbury Doughboy and those block-headed guys Gumby used to get chased by.

So what's he for? Taking care of the elderly. Japan has an aging population, and robots currently figure large into their plans for future domestic service.

We started naming our robots and treating them like members of the family long ago. Even the old fashioned robots in car factories that don't look like anything other than machines are named by the workers and treated like they're alive. I guess the first robot creators wanted us to grow up without being scared of them. Maybe it's a plot, I don't know.

Anyway, the creators of this little guy (named RI-MAN) can be found here: They even have some videos on their site. http://www.bmc.riken.jp/~RI-MAN/index_us.html