However, change is the horizon. Engineers argue that, as robots begin to make a bigger part of society, they will need a way to interact with humans. To this end they will need artificial personalities. The big question is this: what does a synthetic companion need to have so that you want to engage it over a long period of time? Phones and computers have already shown the to which people can develop relationships with inanimate electronic objects.

Looking further engineers envisage robots helping around the house, integrating with the web to place supermarket orders using email. Programming the robot with a human-like persona and it the ability to learn its users' preferences, will help the person feel at ease with it. Interaction with such a digital entity in this context is more natural than sitting with a mouse and keyboard.