Disney Research has created a skinless robot which can blink like a human.
Robot
The new machine can imitate facial movements - blinking and subtle head movements - thanks to a sensor in its chest.
As reported by Gizmodo, the sensor alerts the robot when to face a person in front of it, while its eye movements shift from direct eye contact to saccades (rapid eye movements).
The machine can also move slightly up and down to mimic breathing.
Walt Disney Imagineering engineering has developed the robot alongside robotics researchers from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and the California Institute of Technology.
Although many humanoid robots will typically focus their eyes on a human face, it's not how real people interact.
In its paper 'Realistic and Interactive Robot Gaze', the Disney Research team wrote: "Gaze has been shown to be a key social signal, shaping perceptions of interaction partners.
"For example, people who make more eye contact with us are perceived to be similar to us, as well as more intelligent, conscientious, sincere, and trustworthy. Furthermore, gaze appears to also convey complex social and emotional states.
"Given the importance of gaze in social interactions as well as its ability to communicate states and shape perceptions, it is apparent that gaze can function as a significant tool for an interactive robot character.
"Thus, the aim of this work is to develop a system to emulate human-like mutual gaze."