LOVOT, home robot, GROOVE X, Inc., Tokyo, Japan

Inevitably, what lives in the imagination will one day become reality.
Our first attempt beings right here, right now.

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Some robots are designed to build cars. Others are meant to perform surgery or help astronauts in space. The Lovot, however, has a far simpler and adorable mission in life: to make you smile. The pint-sized cutie, developed by a Japanese robotics startup called Groove X, rolls around and bumps into furniture with the grace and curiosity of a five-year old toddler. The robot will stare up at you with its big, beady eyes and flap two small, pudgy hands when it wants to be picked up and coddled like a baby. At CES, I quickly fell in love with the thing. I want, no need one in my home.

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How much would you shell out for the lifelong love of a robot pal? Honestly, $3,000 seems like a downright deal, all said. Japanese robotic startup Groove X returned to CES to show off Lovot, and the surprisingly advanced robot can still pull in a pretty sizable crowd amongst tech enthusiasts, a few years in.

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