Can this super-humanoid robot ‘solve’ loneliness?

Lifelike humanoid companion robots are arriving now in Chinese homes to combat epidemics of fractured families, alienated elderly populations, and general isolation. Secreted below the flesh-tone silicone skin layer are onboard AI-driven emotional response engines, personalized and local memory, 88 mechanical and motorized joints, and voice and expression modification options for which the ultra-alienated (and evidently wealthy) Chinese consumers are lining up.

The robots are made by UBTech, a publicly traded company in Shenzhen. According to the South China Morning Post, the UWorld U1 Companion Series of “ultra-bionic androids” are expressly designed as domestic companions, featuring “lifelike silicone skin, custom voice replication, and 88 high-degree-of-freedom joints. Variants include Lite, Pro, and Ultra, priced from roughly $17,650 to $145,000.”

Americans lead the global charge toward loneliness and alienation.

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