Jump to content

Japanese develop 'female' android


Recommended Posts

Japanese develop 'female' android

By David Whitehouse

Science editor, BBC News website 

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 Ishiguro 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.

We have found that people forget she is an android while interacting with her

Prof Hiroshi Ishiguro 

"I have developed many robots before," Repliee Q1's designer, Professor Ishiguro, 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 Ishiguro 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 Ishiguro 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."

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/sci/tech/4714135.stm

Published: 2005/07/27 09:10:07 GMT

© BBC MMV

Be patient MWer's with such advances in technology, we could be soon flying our favorite valkyries!!! MUHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAH!!!

tomcat.gif

just joking!!!!

Interesting invention though. B))

Edited by grss1982
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks practially real in the first pic, but I think that's mostly due to small image size and poor quality. Still an interesting development.

I'm not sure realistic robots are really the way to go, as I question we'll ever be able to overcome the uncanny valley. I think a generaly human-esque robot like ASIMO would be a lot more comfortable to be around than this Real Doll lookalike which is so nearly human it's creepy. The only reason why you'd NEED a very realistic human-looking robot would be for sex, and it's not as if real people are too hard to find for that occupation...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Bromgrev
"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."

315090[/snapback]

Satisfying for whom? The people or the robot? Hehehehe ... :ph34r:
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hmm, Chobits anyone?... :lol:

Lonely men the world over, rejoice!, for your day has arrived. Granted, it will take them another 10 years or so to get the "girlbot" perfected, but hey, most of you have never touched a real girl anyway, so what's another ten years?. :rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's really creepy, but a fine achievement at the same time. I never really expected someone to make something so realistic so soon. Robots are really in their infancy and just having them walk and move properly is a monumental effort. Didn't really expect anyone to go for cosmetics at this stage of development.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, I was at Osaka University last year while this thing was being developed. I was in Human Sciences but my friend is a researcher in robotics and he kept telling me about how this android thing is like, really realistic from afar but up close it's kinda weird...

Then I saw it on TV a few weeks ago in action, and boy, it looks like crap. :p

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Bromgrev
I'll put in my application for Blade Runner now to avoid the rush.

315130[/snapback]

2019 ... only 14 years to go. I can see why they went with the Japanese girl look rather than Rutger Hauer, but can she write poetry? :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

robots like these don't impress me, i don't really see what boundrys this presses.

to me, robots are all about the AI that goes in them. thats just me i guess.

this seems alot more to me like a hollywood prop than a functional, useful tool of any kind.

yeah so anway.. i'll shut up now

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It figures the Japanese would make an android that looks like a school teacher, I'm suprised its not a school girl...

Now if Americans were to make androids...

sculptures.jpg

I'm not sure if the old man is a sculpture... I think it's Alfred, but why would someone sculpt Alfred? :unsure:

It doesn't matter...

WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE! :ph34r:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

robots like these don't impress me, i don't really see what boundrys this presses.

to me, robots are all about the AI that goes in them.  thats just me i guess.

this seems alot more to me like a hollywood prop than a functional, useful tool of any kind.

yeah so anway..  i'll shut up now

315182[/snapback]

I'm with you KingNor.

You have a next generation pirates of the carribean ride robot, but no AI to make it go ape-$hit and go crazy killing people. I mean imagine one of these as a ninja-robot. It's sole objective is to kill things. :p wonderful plot-line for a movie, maybe I should do a script, go to some craptatistic movie studio (like one of the ones that accepts shi- err stuff from Paul Anderson) and make some non-stop gritty action flick filled with blood and nudity...:blink::unsure:;)

I'll take R2-D2 over this robot chick any day. R2 can zap crap, slam into things, carry drinks, scream at things, make farting sounds, rock back and forth, and if you count the prequal version; he can spray oil on people and fly around setting things on fire! :p:lol: That's better than a suped up real-doll that will wind up electrocuting you when you.......... nevermind, I won't go there. :ph34r:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's pretty damn sad that everywhere I've seen this article it immediatly turns to "WOOHOO! WE CAN SCREW 'BOTS NOW!"

Which we can't. The thing's not that functional, even if it WAS designed to be anatomically correct instead of just appearing realistic.

The BIG accomplishment is that it registers subconsciously as a human, due to the little touches like breathing and blinking.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's pretty damn sad that everywhere I've seen this article it immediatly turns to "WOOHOO! WE CAN SCREW 'BOTS NOW!"

Which we can't. The thing's not that functional, even if it WAS designed to be anatomically correct instead of just appearing realistic.

The BIG accomplishment is that it registers subconsciously as a human, due to the little touches like breathing and blinking.

315259[/snapback]

Yeah, but I wonder how "human" you would think it is once you get up close to it?. My kids have a Fur Real Friends cat that is robotic, and moves etc. It's pretty impressive, unless you're within 5 feet of it, and then it's just plain creepy when it moves it's head, and you hear the gears churning when the motors kick in etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rated M for Mature ;)

315229[/snapback]

what is?

315237[/snapback]

I am sorry but I need to do this: 075.gif

Just to help Kin out, if the female robot has a hole... I think I said too much. :ph34r::ph34r:laughing.gif

315243[/snapback]

Seduction: thats their evil plan!! "Plugging" that fembot could get you electrocuted. Not exactly Terminator but efective.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's pretty damn sad that everywhere I've seen this article it immediatly turns to "WOOHOO! WE CAN SCREW 'BOTS NOW!"

Which we can't. The thing's not that functional, even if it WAS designed to be anatomically correct instead of just appearing realistic.

The BIG accomplishment is that it registers subconsciously as a human, due to the little touches like breathing and blinking.

315259[/snapback]

Yeah, but I wonder how "human" you would think it is once you get up close to it?. My kids have a Fur Real Friends cat that is robotic, and moves etc. It's pretty impressive, unless you're within 5 feet of it, and then it's just plain creepy when it moves it's head, and you hear the gears churning when the motors kick in etc.

315265[/snapback]

They admit it's blatantly obvious on the conscious level.

But people tend to treat it more like another person than they do a robot, because the subconscious isn't smart enough to peg it as a fake.

I suspect they're using a bit quiter parts than the robot cat, though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's pretty damn sad that everywhere I've seen this article it immediatly turns to "WOOHOO! WE CAN SCREW 'BOTS NOW!"

Which we can't. The thing's not that functional, even if it WAS designed to be anatomically correct instead of just appearing realistic.

The BIG accomplishment is that it registers subconsciously as a human, due to the little touches like breathing and blinking.

315259[/snapback]

um, why can't we? you can't tell me what I can and cannot have my way with! :p

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Haven't we learned enough from West World?

One step closer to Robo-whore 3000! Too many people were getting injuried with The Robotech 3000 Pool Cleaner.

Coin-op versions are expected to appear soon with in a couple of years. :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One step closer to Robo-whore 3000!

Robo-Whore 3000 will also be protected by MagnaVolt anti-theft technology to ensure prevention of unathorized "entry" by giving the perp a good shock. :huh::lol:

MAGNAVOLT! LETHAL RESPONSE!!!

Sorry couldn't resist. But seriously, I first heard about this on 4chan a while back. Its stories like these that I am convinced more and more that Japan will be the first country to successfully develop a working, walking mech.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i like being japanese, but once in a while someone will do something like this which makes me completely embarassed of being japanese -_- (like now, or the time when someone asked me what "hentai" was)

To paraphrase Dr. Ian Malcolm:

We keep asking if we can do this, when we should really be asking ourselves if we SHOULD do this...

315345[/snapback]

i couldn't agree more. sure it takes incredible technology to build a robot that looks that much like a human being, but why would you want to?

5 year-old girl, school teacher, what's next? nurse? kogal? <_<

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i like being japanese, but once in a while someone will do something like this which makes me completely embarassed of being japanese -_- (like now, or the time when someone asked me what "hentai" was)
To paraphrase Dr. Ian Malcolm:

We keep asking if we can do this, when we should really be asking ourselves if we SHOULD do this...

315345[/snapback]

i couldn't agree more. sure it takes incredible technology to build a robot that looks that much like a human being, but why would you want to?

5 year-old girl, school teacher, what's next? nurse? kogal? <_<

315423[/snapback]

The end target is probably cheap receptionists.

Much like automated telephone menus.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very Cool indeed!  But kinda old news.  This very same article was posted in the Mega Science and tech Thread pinned above..BEFORE...the boards went down.

Rob

315111[/snapback]

Damn... I just saw this on G4... I wonder why people are just picking up on this today when it's been months since I read the original article... musta been the "offical" unveiling.

Edited by >EXO<
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rated M for Mature ;)

315229[/snapback]

what is?

315237[/snapback]

I am sorry but I need to do this: 075.gif

Just to help Kin out, if the female robot has a hole... I think I said too much. :ph34r::ph34r:laughing.gif

315243[/snapback]

Seduction: thats their evil plan!! "Plugging" that fembot could get you electrocuted. Not exactly Terminator but efective.

315268[/snapback]

lmao.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...