Posted on 07/27/2005 11:51:46 AM PDT by WaveMan
Japanese scientists have unveiled the most human-looking robot yet devised - a "female" android called Repliee Q1.
She has flexible silicone for skin rather than hard plastic, and a number of sensors and motors to allow her to turn and react in a human-like manner.
She can flutter her eyelids and move her hands like a human. She even appears to breathe.
Professor Hiroshi Ishiguru of Osaka University says one day robots could fool us into believing they are human.
Repliee Q1 is not like any robot you will have seen before, at least outside of science-fiction movies.
She is designed to look human and although she can only sit at present, she has 31 actuators in her upper body, powered by a nearby air compressor, programmed to allow her to move like a human.
"I have developed many robots before," Repliee Q1's designer, Professor Ishiguru, told the BBC News website, "but I soon realised the importance of its appearance. A human-like appearance gives a robot a strong feeling of presence."
Designed to look human
Before Repliee Q1, Professor Ishiguru developed Repliee R1 which had the appearance of a five-year-old Japanese girl.
Its head could move in nine directions and it could gesture with its arm. Four high-sensitivity tactile sensors were placed under the skin of its left arm that made the android react differently to differing pressures.
The follow-up has the appearance of a Japanese woman. To program her motion, a computer analysed the motions of a human and used them as a template for the way Repliee Q1 moves.
She can be designed to follow the movement of a human wearing motion sensors or to act independently.
"Repliee Q1 can interact with people. It can respond to people touching it. It's very satisfying, although we obviously have a long way to go yet."
Professor Ishiguru believes that it may prove possible to build an android that could pass for a human, if only for a brief period.
"An android could get away with it for a short time, 5-10 seconds. However, if we carefully select the situation, we could extend that, to perhaps 10 minutes," he said.
"More importantly, we have found that people forget she is an android while interacting with her. Consciously, it is easy to see that she is an android, but unconsciously, we react to the android as if she were a woman."
Thanks, I'll wait for a real flesh and blood woman. :)
Regards, Ivan
Wow. The humor practically writes itself.
Who inherited truckloads of yen.
So he built him some chicks
Out of silicon chips,
And he hasn't been heard from since then.
ROTFLOL! That is hysterical!!
Ummmm...human women actually have hearts, souls and a *conscience.
[*excluded: Nancy Pelosi, Barbara Boxer, Diane Feinstein, Madeline Albright and last but worst of all....Hillary]
It is interesting, though. If the technology continues, there may be replicants in our lifetimes. That is a bit scary.
"An android could get away with it for a short time, 5-10 seconds. However, if we carefully select the situation, we could extend that, to perhaps 10 minutes," he said.
I don't want to know.
all i can think of
http://www.moviewavs.com/cgi-bin/mp3s.cgi?Full_Metal_Jacket=horney.mp3
Is she housebroken, or does she leave batteries all over the place?
It looks like the host of Iron Chef with one of his more letharic guest actresses.
Mark
They'll be for the weak and unadventurous. If you could design the perfect woman, by being designed rather than born she'd lack the one thing that makes life interesting: unpredictability. It's also the one thing that makes life special. You can't programme, say, her dragging you outside to dance in the rain without it being less than special for not being spontaneous.
No, even if they do create replicants, make mine a real, live girl.
Regards, Ivan
ROFL!
That was a great one!
I agree. Besides, I can only imagine what the tech support calls would be like.
Oh Yeah...
How much and how long is it to ship to the BDR?
And on top of that if they can make them look like swedish triplet chicks I will take 3.lol
I know a real woman has some better qualities. but come on. Can you imagine it? Spank..spank.."You are hurting me," says the robot. "I know." you reply.
That only works on a few chicks out of ten in real life and it would work 100% of the time now.
I wnat to know more. I just read about a Japanese guy that opened "puppet" brothels. The guys come there and hump life size fake chicks. It was in germans Der Spiegel magazine this week.
But if they cost too much it will be ut of my league.
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