A puppet with robotic features, Heart Robot is covered with sensors that respond to movement and touch. It responds to loud noises and agitation by appearing to become more anxious – it tenses up and its heart beats faster, while as its environment becomes less worrying, it relaxes and calms down.

The Heart Robot project has brought together researchers from the Bristol Robotics Laboratory at the University of West England (UWE), circus performers, artists, model makers, puppeteers and experts in animatronics.

Describing Heart Robot, project co-ordinator David McGoran, said: “It looks like a puppet standing 60 to 90cm tall and has the appearance of a small tender human being. It has large deep soulful eyes, delicate ears, hands and feet and is warm to touch. A soft flexible skin made of Egyptian cotton encases the frame. Heart Robot has autonomous reflexes and will appear to breathe, blink, flinch and clench its hands in response to human encounters.”

McGoran continued:  “We have built Heart Robot to respond to the way it is treated by people. We are hoping that people will feel an emotion in response to the robot and that this will inspire them to find out more about robotics,”