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Furhat – A Robot Designed To Listen To Your Problems

We all have our problems and sometimes it’s nice to have a little bit of a ‘vent’. It can, however, sometimes be more than a little difficult to do it. Firstly, it’s human nature that it can be difficult to open up about subjects that are deeply personal or, for want of a better expression, we would feel like some sort of weakness to reveal. Secondly, if you’re going to do this, you at least want the feeling that the person you’re talking to is interested.

Well, ironically, it seems that a robot may be an answer to a lot of these problems. In a report via TheStar. Furhat is a robot that has been designed not only to listen to what you have to say but also react.

I’ve Had A Pretty Bad Day Furhat…

The robot is based on a bust like design with a human face at the front. While listening to you though, the head will move and react. Samer Al Moubayed, chief executive of Furhat Robotics has said: “We’ve seen research that shows that in certain situations people are more comfortable opening up and talking about difficult issues with a robot than with a human.”

The robot has already seen use, but for different reasons. Frankfurt airport, for example, has one designed to listen, understand and respond in different languages. A useful thing to have at an airport.

Could This Help With Mental Health?

Honestly, I think so. It’s been well proven that talking about problems can be good for us. Even if the person (or in this case, robot) doesn’t have the answer, just verbalising them can help us reach a decision or better understanding of our emotions at the time. Now, if you’ll excuse me, in the absence of my own Furhat, I’m off to chat with the toaster.

What do you think? – Let us know in the comments!