This Robot Will Transmit the Feel of Your Kiss to Long-Distance Lover

Long distance relationships can be hard, but there is no doubt that technology has made them easier. Now, instead of two hour phone calls staring at your ceiling, there are things like Skype and other online video applications where you can actually look at each other. But there's still the absence of physical touch -- until now.

Lovotics, which researches the "human-to-robot relationship", developed a robot that will not only prevent you from getting shocked when you lean in to kiss your computer screen but will let you actually feel like you're getting kissed back.

The "Kissenger" robot, according to its website, "provides a physical interface enabling kiss communication for several applications facilitating intimate human tele-presence with the real and virtual worlds."

Watch how the robot works:

Although the concept of kissing the robot to transmit your smooch long-distance is a bit strange, it gets even weirder when artificial intelligence researcher and developer of the robot, Hooman Samani, suggests Kissenger could also be used to "[enable] an intimate relationship with a robot" or virtual characters while playing online games.

Also in the Lovelotics line is a "mini-surrogate" robot, which are "small cute, believable and acceptable surrogates of humans for telecommunication." These robots were created to give the illusion that the person you're communicating with is closer by to "foster a sense of co-presence."

Here's how the mini-surrogate robot works:

[H/T The Herald Sun]