A pet robot developed at the University of British Columbia that communicates with humans only by touch is being used to probe the way haptics our emotional relationships.

Using pressure sensors, the Haptic Creature can detect the way it is touched or stroked. It can only respond with breathing movements of its body, inaudible purring vibrations, or by moving its ears.

But even those simple responses to touch can elicit a range of emotions in humans.

The findings could be used to make humans’ relationships with robots and other pieces of technology more emotionally rewarding.