The scientists believe that one day, the robots will be able to fool us into believing that they are human.
Scientists from Japan have unveiled the humanoid robot, a woman-like android dubbed Repliee Q1. The android has a skin made of flexible silicone and not hard plastic, and several sensors and motors that allow it to move around and react with "human" movements. She can blink her eyes and move her hands like a human. She also looks like she's breathing. This is what the BBC website says.
Prof. Hiroshi Ishiguro from Osaka University says that one day robots will be able to fool us so that we will be sure that they are humans.
Repliee Q1 is unlike any other robot you've seen before, outside of science fiction movies. She is designed to look human and although she can only sit for now, she has 31 components in her upper body, powered by a nearby air compressor, and programmed to allow her to perform human-like movements. "We found that people forget she's an android when they talk to her." Prof. Ishiguro said.
"I have developed many robots so far, said Ishiguro, but I quickly realized the importance of the performance of the robots. A human-like performance gives the robot a strong sense of presence." Before the Repliee Q1, Ishiguro developed the Repliee R1 which looked like a five year old Japanese girl.
Repliee R1's head can rotate in nine different directions and it can perform gestures with knowledge. Four extremely sensitive tactical sensors under the skin of her left hand that made the android react differently to different pressures. The next in line looks like a Japanese woman. To program her movements the computer analyzed human movements and used them to act as a template for the way Repliee Q1 moved. It can also follow the movements of people wearing motion sensors or act independently.
Repliee Q1 can communicate with humans. She can respond to being touched, she is satisfactory even though we probably still have a long way to go.
Prof. Ishiguro believes that it may be possible to build an android that could be considered human, but only for a small background. "Android will be able to continue impersonating for 5-10 seconds. If we choose the situation carefully, it will be possible to extend it, maybe for ten minutes." said.
More importantly, we found that humans forget that she is an android when they interact with her. Perceptually, it is very easy to see that she is an android, but subconsciously, we all treat an android as if she were a woman.
Prof. Ishiguro (right) claims the importance of the robot's performance
One response
When it comes to Japanese scientists and a silicon robot, it's pretty clear where all this research is going... :)))))