But Can it Hug You Back?

A solicitation from a Defense Department research group has caught the attention of the blogosphere. Defense's Small Business Innovation Research, which gives money to small tech companies to develop early-stage research and development projects, asked companies to submit ideas for a computer program that mimics a conversation between a child and his or her deployed parent. According to the solicitation, the application should provide through video footage or a high-resolution 3-D rendering of the parent, "simulated conversation with a parent about generic, everyday topics. For instance, a child may get a response from saying 'I love you', or 'I miss you', or 'Good night mommy/daddy.'"