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By imitating natural expressions and even human cognition, David Hanson's robots--made using a unique rubber substance that mimics human facial tissue--are making it easier to interact with robots by giving them a human face. Robotics designer David Hanson builds intelligent robots with amazingly lifelike human faces that can make eye contact and understand human speech well enough to hold a conversation. A key to this technology is a facial material Hanson calls "Frubber"--a contraction of face and rubber.

First came Geminoid , now there's Robokind . The diminutive educational robot coated with Frubber, a semi-convincing kind of synthetic robot skin, can replicate a great variety of human expressions. But is this a good thing