Children bond with their robot playmates

Children bond with their robot playmates | Technology | The Guardian: "It may not be able to read an encyclopedia in seconds like Johnny 5 in Short Circuit, or have the emotional neuroses of C-3PO from Star Wars but a new robot may be able to teach children about social interaction, according to US scientists. The childlike automatons could become a feature in nursery schools after researchers found that toddlers soon learn to regard them as human. It is thought the robots could enrich the classroom environment by demonstrating social skills and good behaviour. Scientists studied how children aged between 10 months and two years played with the 'social robot' when left in the same room."

Euww!!

There's something very wrong about the above. Have we really got to the stage where it's too inconvenient just to have children around real people and they must be taught how to be human by something that's not human?? I'm all for the appropriate use of technology in education - but this is a step wa-a-a-a-a-a-ay too far.