In my short play session, Lovot did behave like a living, breathing creature -- sometimes. It would often dance and jiggle about, for instance, if I stroked its chin or tickled its belly. The robot fell asleep when I picked it up like a baby and jolted awake when I decided, in a moment of madness, to rudely poke its nose. Other times, though, Lovot seemed utterly oblivious of my presence, or unsure what to do next. I put that down to the show floor, which was packed with people milling about and trying to take pictures -- the poor thing was probably overwhelmed by outside stimuli.

Lovot is available to pre-order in Japan for 598,000 yen (roughly $5,500). That eye-watering price-tag nets you a pair of Lovots, at least, that will play with each other and likely cause twice as much chaos in your home. Groove X says the first units will ship towards the end of the year. The company will then launch Lovot in the US and start selling individual units for an unknown price in 2020. I'll never be able to afford one, but my god I wish I could. Sorry Sony -- you can keep your (also delightful) Aibo.