Robots and Emotions

http://now.msn.com/robot-restaurant-in-harbin-china-has-mechanical-servers-and-chefs <-- Here's the link to the all Robot cafe!

The Robot stories video maintained what I would consider to be a unique element--robots having emotions. The baby robot displayed rebellious behavior--typically enacted out of anger--and fear. The robots that appeared to be human and worked constantly developed feelings of isolation. Upon discovering that they were the only robots, their isolation turned into a desire for "like-minded" companionship. In "Clay", the simulation of the man's wife portrayed emotions, yet the question remains regarding her existence and ability to react to real life situations. The video presents the question of whether or not these robotic emotions are equatable to human emotions. Robots can be programmed to react in certain ways once presented with specific stimuli. Similarly, humans are conditioned to have specific responses to certain situations. It is not in question whether or not robots can have emotions. The question is whether or not these emotions can develop outside of a programmed algorithm--developing into something more like human emotions.