Apple offered up more insight into its consumer robotics work via a research paper that argues that traits like expressive movements are key to optimizing human-robot interaction. “Like most animals,” starts the report,

Apple robotics researchers built a playful and charming robot inspired by Pixar's Luxo Jr. desk lamp, and it's hard not to fall in love.

Both robots are desk-style lamps on an articulating arm, with what appears to be an LED light, camera, speaker, and projector built in. They respond to gestures and voice commands and have a voice that sounds suspiciously like Apple’s Siri. One of them exhibits a lot of personality.

Luxo Jr. has been brightening up every Pixar film since 1995, when the anthropomorphic desk lamp first appeared on screen and stomped on the animation studio's logo in its opening credits. This character has now inspired researchers at Apple who have developed ways to make robots more expressive,

Apple has published a new research paper that argues traits like expressive movements are foundational to human-robot interaction.