Sitting behind the front desk at Nanyang Technological University in Signapore, is the first emotionally intelligent humanoid robot, named Nadine. Engineers have employed the robot as a receptionist at the university to test her social intelligence skills, designed to express emotions and change moods in relation to the conversation.

"This is somewhat like a real companion that is always with you and conscious of what is happening," Nadia Thalmann, a robotics professor NTU's School of Computer Engineering, said in a press release . "So in future, these socially intelligent robots could be like C-3PO, the iconic golden droid from Star Wars, with knowledge of language and etiquette."

Nadine is powered by a technology similar to Apple’s interactive Siri interface, giving her certain prompts to react to a human’s interaction and tone. She is also equipt with an extensive memory, allowing her to recognize people she’s met before and recalls what was said in past conversations, as if she was an old friend remembering their last time spent together.

According to the Institute for Health and Human Potential, to be emotionally intellectual means a person needs to recognize, understand, and manage their own emotions as well as the others emotions of others. It allows a person to drive their behavior in accordance to the other person’s in order to make a positive or negative impact. In the case of Nadine, a robot that is able to juggle emotions between herself and another human’s gives her the capability to achieve human-like emotional intelligence. Sitting behind a desk will give her practice and allow her to expand her abilities as her interaction experience grows.

Is this the future of robot secretaries? Thalmann believes social robots like Nadine could become office assistants or serve as companions and caretakers for children and the elderly.

Thalmann said, "As countries worldwide face challenges of an aging population, social robots can be one solution to address the shrinking workforce, become personal companions for children and the elderly at home and even serve as a platform for healthcare services in the future. ”