http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUST8462420080617

“Strong, tough and battle-ready are some of the words often associated with robots, but we wanted to break that stereotype and provide a robot that’s sweet and interactive,” said Minako Sakanoue, a spokeswoman for the maker, Sega Toys.

“She’s very lovable and though she’s not a human, she can act like a real girlfriend.”

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If that doesn’t sound like marketing an ersatz gf, I don’t know what would. As for who looks silly, whatever. Maybe it’s Sega for thinking they can market that thing. But somehow I doubt it.

Considering the amount of products created by Japanese firms for lonely otaku, the still existing popularity of places like host and hostess clubs and the release of the ikemen bank also at the toy show that tells women sweet nothings the idea that a Japanese firm would release a kissing robot for lonely men is not really that farfetched. As all countries in the world have lonely men and women and products geared towards them I think you’re taking the entire thing way out of context.