Tag: Robotics
F1 team help teenager achieve his bionic arm dream
The Formula One Mercedes GP Petronas team have helped a British teenager improve his quality of life by helping him grab an expensive bionic arm from Touch Bionics. 14-year-old Matthew James was born without a left hand, and had been…
Japanese couple married by i-Fairy robot priest
It was an i-fairytale day, like something out of an electric dream for Tokyo couple Tomohiro Shibata and Satoko Inoue, as they became the world's first couple to take their marriage vows in front of a robot priest. "Pastor" i-Fairy…
Diego-San: The world's most frightening robot child?
I've become accustomed over the years to pictures of menacing looking robots hitting my inbox. I brace myself, hit the link, and more often than not end up laughing at their hideous Elephant Man-like proportions. But not with Diego-San. He's…
Creepy robotic head copies your facial expressions
This is a damn creepy robotic head, put together by researchers at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory. He’s called “Jules”, and can watch your facial expressions and copy them. In the video above, he’s copying the expressions of the scientist behind the camera, while you hear the scientists’ voice.
Dunno about you, but this one, for me, falls firmly into the uncanny valley. Especially if it was copying my facial movements exactly. It’s a bit like that friend everyone has who doesn’t quite ‘get’ social interaction and always behaves a little bit odd. Robotics is great, but we’re still some way off realistic human expressions, it seems.
(via the Daily Mail)
Related posts: Robot maid knows how to clean and wash, but will never feel emotions | Robot Plant Pot seeks out the brighter side of life
RoboCop could be a reality on Britain's streets before the 22nd century
The top bod studying artificial intelligence and robotics believes that we could have robot security guards, autonomous police cars, and humanoid traffic wardens patrolling Britain’s streets within the next 75 years.
Professor Noel Sharkey of the University of Sheffield has been studying the evolution of robots and how they’ll be increasingly used in modern society.
Robots will have access to integrated databases of information on Brits’ bank accounts, tax, vehicles, shopping history, criminal records, and even what they’re doing. This would then allow them to identify who people are (accurately, hopefully)…
Toyota's Winglet Personal Transporter: sounds "space travel" but it's not
Toyota has developed its own incarnation of the oft-mocked Segway. The Winglet Personal Transporter is a vertical mechanised scooter, though at present it has a paltry top speed of 3.7 miles per hour — around a quarter that of a Segway — so it’s probably quicker to walk. You’ll look less silly that way, too…
Partner-type Personal Robot: would you leave your child with a robot?
PaPeRo is not only quite a bizarre name for a robot, but a potentially disturbing concept. The NEC-developed “Partner-type Personal Robot” is being tested in childcare.
It’s able to express itself, can recognise 650 phrases and speak over 3,000, recognise faces, and remember interests and preferences…
'Breast massaging robot' takes cyber-love to the next level
No doubt there’s some sort of serious scientific/medical use for this that’s of global importance. It will no doubt save millions of lives, somehow, in the near future.
But there’s also a good chance it’ll just end up letting you virtually grope women in Second Life.
Zeno: childlike robot with artifical intelligence doesn't look quite right
"Zeno", the brainchild of Hanson Robotics, is a robot complete with vision, decision-making and learning capabilities, as well as the ability to change its facial expressions and move based on what it "sees". This Artificial Intelligence also allows for speech…
Interview: Honda on the future for its Asimo robot
At the CES show this year, Honda’s humanoid Asimo robot was one of the big hits. He didn’t just walk and trot up and down stairs. He ran. He played football. He danced. And through it all, he cracked jokes like a Vegas pro. You can watch our videos of it here.
Naturally, Honda isn’t pumping millions of dollars into Asimo’s R&D to get a few cheap laughs. The company uses the bot in its TV ads for starters. But in the long-term, Honda wants Asimo to become a genuinely helpful companion for us humans. I talked to Stephen Keeney, North American Asimo project leader at Honda, to find out more.
