Father-of-three Otou continued to live with his wife and family, speaking normally to his children, but he never uttered a word to his long-suffering wife Katayama Yumi for two decades.
The woman in question, known only as Lilly, or by her Twitter handle @LillyInMoovator, describes herself as a "proud robosexual" and told News.com.au via email that she is attracted only to robots and actually dislikes physical contact with human flesh.
There's no substituting human touch, yet, but rapidly-advancing technology already provides some intriguing alternatives. One such example is the Kissenger, a smartphone peripheral that allows users to kiss over long distances.
Over a number of years, 41-year-old Praepitcha Smatsorabudh, a preschool teacher in Arlington County, used an ingenious scam to supplement her day-job paycheck.O
After being told that she could have a horse because they were too expensive, 11-year-old Sarah Simpson, decided to try the next best thing - riding a cow.
Technology is seeping into everything, even restaurant tableware. Quince, a Michelin-starred restaurant in San Francisco has recently swapped ol' fashioned porcelain plates with Apple iPads for a couple of its most popular dishes.