] Science fiction often depicts robots of the future as
] machines that look like people and feel, or at least
] hanker after the ability to feel, human emotions.
]
]
] A team at Vanderbilt University is turning this notion on
] its head by developing a robotic assistant whose goal is
] not to develop emotions, but rather respond to the moods
] of its human master.
]
] By processing information sent from physiological sensors
] the human counterpart wears, the Vanderbilt robot can
] detect when its master is having a bad day and approach
] with the query: "I sense that you are anxious. Is there
] anything I can do to help?"

Wired News: Feeling Blue? This Robot Knows It