Spank that Robot

From time to time we see various machines that are designed to spank humans. Now the tables are turned. Reuters News reports that a Japanese inventor has created a robot that responds to spanking.

Nobuhiro Takahashi called his creation "Shiri" which means "butt" in Japanese. Shiri responds with different emotions to different human touches.

The inventor hopes to use the prototype to develop responses that can be applied to other parts of a robot's body, in particular the face, to help with non-verbal communication. He decided to develop his technology with a bottom because its movements are large and make it easier to convey emotion.

"I wanted to try and use a butt to reflect emotions - fear, joy and relaxation," he explained.

To get a robot to show fear, Takahashi spanks it.

"Fear is a very human - very living - emotion, so it's expressed with force, with a spank." The robot bottom responds by quivering. A slow wobble is the sign for relaxation, while a gentle stroke causes clenches that signal pleasure.

See for yourself.  It's pretty amazing!