Yangyang fembot unveiled at Beijing conference – looks a bit like Sarah Palin!
A creepy new female robot called Yangyang has been unveiled in Beijing at the Global Mobile Internet conference – a conference aimed at getting younger people into robotics.
A joint project between Japanese robot guru Hiroshi Ishiguro and Shanghai robotics professor Song Yang, the young robot can shake your hand and accept a hug.
Dressed in a long red coat, the android – who bears an uncanny resemblance to former Alaska governor Sarah Palin according to the Daily Mail – also moved her head and raised her hands as well as being able to speak. “I was born in Japan but grew up in China,” Yangyang told the audience.
However, not everyone it seems is comfortable with the fembot. A University of California study found that the more human-like robots are, the more uncomfortable we are with them. Apparently, researchers have found a chemical reaction in our brain which means the more humanlike a robot’s appearance, the more disturbing we find them.
Earlier this month, an android called ChihiraAico was installed as a receptionist at a department store in Tokyo. And presented earlier this month at a Hong Kong electronics fair was America’s equivalent of YangYang – “Han” from Hanson Robotics.
Controlled with a cell phone app, Han has approximately 40 motors embedded in his face that allow him to make realistic facial expressions, Reuters reports. You can see Han below:
