Even my virtual girlfriend doesn't fancy me: Lonely gamer creates woman he can take on dates (with Kinect sensor and video glasses) and she STILL resists his advances

This is one of the creepiest blurring of the lines between the real and the virtual - and at the same time an incredible technology demonstration.
A Japanese gadget enthusiast has hooked up a Kinect sensor - a device which usually acts as a pair of eyes for the Xbox console, but has been commandeered by the hacking enthusiast community - with a pair of video glasses, which can overlay virtual objects into a real world.
The first thing he does with his contraption? Make a girlfriend, of course.
His partner comes pre-made from a Japanese PC voice synthesiser called Vocaloid, and her name is Hatsune Miku, a popular icon in Japan.

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Meet Miku: The virtual girlfriend joins our Japanese fan on a tour of the local park

This relationship's a walk in the park: The virtual girlfriend leaves shadows on the ground, hinting at the technological accomplishment on show here

The video is at first glance very creepy - Miku just keeps walking at the user like a horror character from The Ring, while techno Japanese dance music plays over the top.
Then she starts interacting with her 'boyfriend', giggling as he pats her on the head, and skipping and dancing around the park.
And we will consider excusing the man for this next action on the basis this is a tech demo, but it is not pleasant to watch him slap his girlfriend on the head.
She responds with a scowl - and this expression also returns when he tries to touch her inappropriately towards the end of the video.

Happy: A pat on the head leads to a contented smile

Not good: No-one should ever hit a woman, and Miku does not react happily if you treat her this way

No touching! Miku does not look happy if you try to grab a feel

However, in terms of technology, we are seeing some impressive stuff here.
The character already has a range of movements thanks to her PC heritage, happily dancing around if she hears music, and skipping, jumping or simply walking after her 'boyfriend'.
Meanwhile the combination of Kinect sensor and overlay-goggles work well, with Hatsune Miku vanishing behind a tree as the man walks away, and re-appering around the other side as he changes his position.

Dance with me? Miku opens her arms and asks for a dance

Miku's tie flutters if you push at it with your hand

Shadows appear around Miku's feet, and if you swipe at her tie, it flutters in the breeze.
So, while the music and movements combine to make this quite a creepy video, the technology on display is cleverly done, especially for what appears to be a literal 'pet project'.
It perhaps hints at what we will see in the future, such as virtual pets, when products like Google Goggles hit the mainstream.

Who is behind the tree? The technology is clever enough to recognise objects, so that Miku can hide behind them

Happy to be alive: It may only be a virtual relationship, but Miku will follow you to the ends of the earth