Robot girlfriend for lonely men

Using her infrared sensors and battery power, the diminutive damsel named "EMA" puckers up for nearby human heads, entering what designers call its "love mode".

"Strong, tough and battle-ready are some of the words often associated with robots, but we wanted to break that stereotype and provide a robot that's sweet and interactive," said Minako Sakanoue, a spokeswoman for the maker, Sega Toys.

"She's very lovable and though she's not a human, she can act like a real girlfriend."

EMA, with stands for Eternal Maiden Actualisation, can also hand out business cards, sing and dance, with Sega hoping to sell 10 000 in the first year.

Japan, home to almost half the world's 800 000 industrial robots, envisions a $10-billion market for artificial intelligence in a decade.