This is Zeno.
At 17 inches tall and 6 pounds, the artificial Zeno is the culmination of five years of work by Hanson and a small group of engineers, designers and programmers at his company, Hanson Robotics. They believe there’s an emerging business in the design and sale of lifelike robotic companions, or social robots.

With skin made from a lifelike synthetic substance called ‘frubber’ future, more advanced, variants of Zeno will be able to engage in conversation and convey emotions.

More pictures after the jump.

Although it can move smile, frown and acts like a sophisticated self-contained robot, Zeno synchs wirelessly to a PC running the same software that was used to create the hordes of elves, orcs and dwarves in the blockbuster “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy.