If it’s bad for humans to be reduced to robotic inauthenticity, isn’t it preferable that real robots should step in to execute our mindless tasks for us? But what happens when robots start to develop emotions of their own?

The Standard reported last week that “emotional robots” are currently being developed, sensate vacuum cleaners programmed with emotion to increase their efficiency. “If a robot feels happy after it has cleaned a dirty carpet particularly well, then it will apparently seek out more dirt in order to do the same,” the article explains. “Similarly, if the robot feels guilt or sadness at having failed at a task, it will try harder next time.”

read article at Wired

via Digg