InsideJapan News Network

A Japanese company has invented what many may argue is the perfect girlfriend.

She is affable, big-busted and fits neatly inside your pocket.

Named EMA (Eternal Maiden Actualisation), the 38 cm-high female companion is an interactive robot which will go on sale in September and retail at around $175 (£89), reports Reuters.

When in "love mode", the robot will even pucker up and kiss its owner.

Sega Toys spokeswoman Minako Sakanoue said that while EMA is not human, she can act like a real girlfriend.

"Strong, tough and battle-ready are some of the words often associated with robots, but we wanted to break that stereotype and provide a robot that's sweet and interactive," she commented.

Many believe the Japanese artificial intelligence market could be worth as much as £10 billion within the next ten years. The country is also home to almost half the world's 800,000 industrial robots.

Japan's oldest robots are the famous 18th-century puppet automatons known as Karakuri.