For a listening ear, turn to the Ifbot

KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Do you long for someone with whom to share your deepest thoughts and emotions? You'd tell him or her when you feel sad over a sick friend, angry with a son-in-law, excited about a new job or happy the sun is shining.
Say hello to Ifbot.
According to trade journal Women's Wear Daily, Ifbot is a robot said to have the conversational skills of a 5-year-old and, best of all, it responds to emotional feelings. It can react with fluttering eyes and blushes with flickering lights. It shows anger and may shed tears if you hit it on the head. And it can even recognize up to 10 of your friends. (That's better than some spouses.)
It is about 18 inches tall and programmed with almost 40,000 scenarios to help it converse. It was invented at the Nagoya Institute of Technology in Japan, where the Business Design Laboratory expects to sell about 1,000 this year. The price is $4,170, and 350 orders were in by late May.
Senior citizens have been the major consumer group so far, WWD says. But restaurants, retailers and other businesses are interested in making it a mascot. So far, no English-speaking units are available, but the makers say it is just a matter of reprogramming.