A real-life version of the loveable anglepoise lamp seen at the start of Pixar films might be the most adorable gadget of 2012.
'Pinokio' is described as "an exploration into the expressive and behavioural potentials of robotic computing".
It used customised computer code to recognise people and interact with them.
Its maker explains:
"As it negotiates its world, we the human audience can see that Lamp shares many traits possessed by animals, generating a range of emotional sympathies. In the end we may ask: Is Pinokio only a lamp? - a useful machine? Perhaps we should put the book aside and meet a new friend."
Takle a look, above.