A $3,100 robot companion that exists to make people happy was unveiled on Tuesday by Japanese start-up Groove X, a tech firm founded by a SoftBank Robotics alumnus.

The Lovot was designed "to enhance levels of comfort and feelings of love," according to the company, and has the ability to react to people's moods, thanks to Groove X's "Emotional Robotics" technology.

"When you touch your Lovot, embrace it, even just watch it, you'll find yourself relaxing, feeling better. It's a little like feeling love toward another person," the robot's designers said on their website on Tuesday.

"Lovot will react to your moods and do all it can to fill you with joy and re-energize you. It may not be a living creature, but Lovot will warm your heart."

Groove X said the launch of Lovot will spark an all-new relationship between robots and humans. Founder and CEO Kaname Hayashi was the development leader of SoftBank's robot Pepper before founding Groove X.