I’m interested in the future of human—robot empathy. Much current research into robotics is focused on the creation of anthropomorphic robots — machines that look and appear to behave like humans. Although there are valid reasons for this research (and a good deal of egotism), I believe that this approach is fundamentally flawed. Our relationships with these machines will be based on falsehoods and ignorance. I have developed a series of design interventions that explore the possible future of human—robot interaction and ask whether the conventions and design approaches currently proposed are desirable for society.