Meet Abel, a robot with empathy

Abel, a hyperrealistic humanoid robot, is designed to read human emotions and — eventually — serve as a companion for people with autism or Alzheimer's.

• He's meant to look like a 12-year-old boy, according to the University of Pisa, where he was developed (in collaboration with the London-based Biomimic Studio, an animatronics lab).

How it works: The 21 motors inside Abel's head "are dedicated to the movement of the facial expression, to perform gaze and simulate speaking," per the University of Pisa.

• "Four move the brow, eight move the eyes, one moves the jaw and eight are for the movement of mouth, lips and cheeks. Five motors are dedicated to neck and head movement."
• The mechatronics give Abel the ability to express a spectrum of emotions through facial expressions and body gestures.

What they're saying: Abel will help researchers "test theories coming from neuroscience, psychology and sociology," potentially helping with "therapy and diagnosis of mental illness, learning disabilities, autism spectrum and dementia," the University of Pisa says.