Robots were definitely not scarce at NextFest this morning. One of our favorite robots was the Actroid Der. She's able to greet you, nod her head, bat her eyelashes at you, sing, and speak. We were completely fasinated by how real she looked! I want one for my apartment, so that when I come home, she can ask me how my day was!
Watch the video I shot of her in action!
I've seen robotic reptiles, monkeys, and dogs but never a robotic seal! The Paro robot contains sensors and actuators that allow it to move and respond to stimuli. Blogging Molly and I held it in our arms and brushed its hair. It liked that! Paro was designed as a therapeutic pet to keep the elderly company.
One robot we wanted to see in action but it wasn't working at the moment was the Juke Bot from RobotLab. It's a techno DJ with two mechanical arms that actually select and spin vinyl records! I can just picture Eminem bringing the Juke Bot along on his next tour (or did he retire? I can't keep track of these rappers!).
And how can we forget the Albert Hubo, aka Einstein bot? Developed by Hanson Robotics using the patented Frubber skin, this Einstein-inspired robot utilizes over 62 muscles in its face to illustrate very humanlike features naturally. He can walk or roll on wheels and recognizes speech.
And she was sitting a little ways away from the screen, so that might be part of it, but she was completely fooled; she thought it was actually a person. I have to admit, I wondered for a few seconds as well until I noticed the motions were awfully jerky-still, that was incredibly impressive. Uncanny Valley anyone? If you get a chance to go back and see the jukebot, I'd love to see that video! People have been talking about the jukebot for years and how it'll put DJs (real DJs, not wedding DJs and such) like me out of business by flipping vinyl and beatmatching records without help. ;) I'd love to go up against one!
Mixx It
Digg It
Stumble
More...
September 29, 2006 10:30 PM
And she was sitting a little ways away from the screen, so that might be part of it, but she was completely fooled; she thought it was actually a person. I have to admit, I wondered for a few seconds as well until I noticed the motions were awfully jerky-still, that was incredibly impressive. Uncanny Valley anyone? If you get a chance to go back and see the jukebot, I'd love to see that video! People have been talking about the jukebot for years and how it'll put DJs (real DJs, not wedding DJs and such) like me out of business by flipping vinyl and beatmatching records without help. ;) I'd love to go up against one!