Now, a hugging teddy bear to monitor your blood pressure

The 'HugBot' has a somewhat goofy grin and while it offers you a bear-hug its internal microphones pick up your pulse and give an early warning if it spots something unusual.

The robot grabs people in a bear-hug for around five or six seconds, and it can sense when someone is close by and expecting a warm, cuddly check-up, the Daily Mail reported.

The Taiwanese designers UrRobot told the robot blog site Plastic Pals that they want to see HugBot installed in schools, playgrounds and children's hospitals, in a bid to share some love and some medical data.

HugBot was presented at the Taipei International Robot Show 2012.

Earlier this year, a 37 pounds Hugvie was demonstrated to robot fans - a 'huggable robotic pillow-phone' which has its own heartbeat and internal vibrators - and then matches these to the caller's voice.

The vibrations become faster and stronger depending on the pitch and volume of your conversation.