The behaviors of these future robotic objects may be utilitarian, like a lamp that bends to follow the items you reposition on a desk, or they may provide feedback, like a fork that vibrates when you’re eating too fast. They won’t require you to press a sequence of buttons to make things happen, but they will work alongside you in unobtrusive ways, responding to caresses, waves or verbal commands. Some might just sit back and observe you to understand what you need.
With this throng of sentient objects in our lives, we’ll have to negotiate a whole new set of relationships. Will we adore our new products as if they were pets, doting on them and anticipating their greetings? Or will all this lively communication create an annoying cacophony of gadgets? My hope is for the former, but it will depend on the designers’ ability to devise interactions that consider emotional value as important as any other product attribute.