Forget flowers. Today's women would much rather be wooed with gadgets, according to new research published in Britain on Thursday.

No longer are men expected to swim shark-infested waters or scale tall buildings to deliver a box of chocolates. These days a trip to the local electrical store will more than suffice.

In a series of experiments monitoring a woman's reaction to certain types of presents, scientists at Britain's University of Hertfordshire found that high tech toys aroused the greatest response, the Daily Express newspaper reported on Thursday.

Psychologists wired men and women up to a machine called a "psycho-galvanometer" for tests. Like a lie detector, the machine measures arousal levels by how the skin resists a small electrical current.

Ten men and ten women were tested by showing them various gadgets, the newspaper said.

Results showed that women got more aroused at being given gadgets as gifts. The biggest response came from women given a DVD player.

"It's clear that flowers and chocolates really don't do it for women any more, so men should make sure they go for the coolest, shiniest gadgets," psychologist Dr Adam Johnson who carried out the study said.

"The results show that the gifts we traditionally perceive as romantic fail to impress men or women today."

(Agencies)