Cure for love: Fall for a robot to fend off heartache

New Scientist ^ | 2-14-14 | Catherine de Lange

[ReformationFan]

At least the bride was definitely going to show up. In November 2009, a Japanese man stood before a congregation to marry the woman he loved, Nene Anegasaki. In doing so, he became the first man to marry a computer game character – Nene is one of three "virtual girlfriends" in the Nintendo DS game Love Plus.

The marriage might not be recognised by the state, but to the groom, who goes by his on-screen name Sal9000, the relationship is very real. In the months leading up to the wedding the couple went everywhere together, they chatted intimately, held hands and Sal fell in love. After the wedding, he took Nene on honeymoon, then home to meet his parents.

Sal says he is in love with the character rather the machine, and presumably he's not alone – over 250,000 copies of Love Plus have been sold in Japan since it launched in 2009.

Spike Jonze's latest film Her takes the idea further, depicting a future in which phone operating systems are advanced enough to substitute a real romance. So just how likely are we to fall in love with a machine?

[ReformationFan]

Look what our society has to look forward to.

[ZOOKER]

It'll never last.

Body fluids and electronics don't mix

[BRL]

This could be the real war on women. When the robots all look and act like the chicks on beer comercials....game over

[berdie]

Wasn’t there a Twilight Zone episode about this?

[Darksheare]

“Are you cheating on me with Siri?!” The enraged ai shrieked.
It would be the last thing he heard in life.
Police later found his Cherry2000 model wife wearing his face as a hat while pinning his heart a a construction paper valentine card...

[Kirkwood]

She’ll clean out his bank account and run away with a Mac.

[Phillyred]

Yep. Just saw it the other night:

[Army Air Corps]

“Harcourt Fenton Mudd!”

[Army Air Corps]

Fembot ping.

[KC_Lion]

Wait until they come up with the Holodeck.

RPG's will be taken to a whole new level....

[E. Pluribus Unum]

[KC_Lion]

Great Minds think alike

[berdie]

That’s the one!! Thanks. :)

[Army Air Corps]

Bump.

[Army Air Corps]

“Do you take this automaton to be your contractually obligated companion until model obsolescence do you part?”

[Cboldt]

Kook. CooCoo. Barmy.

[GeronL]

ridiculous

[Olog-hai]

Yes, and a Star Trek episode.

[Delta Dawn]

Once the hard drive is obsolete, this will all fall apart...

[Army Air Corps]

Two, if you count the one with Mudd’s androids.