In the nearly two years since it was first unveiled to the world, the Child-robot with Biomimetic Body, or CB2, has been developing social skills by interacting with humans and watching their facial expressions, according to its creators at Osaka University.
Comprised of robotics engineers, brain specialists, psychologists and other experts, the research team has been teaching the android to think like a baby by having it evaluate facial expressions and classify them into basic categories, such as happiness and sadness.
The 130-centimter (4 ft 4 in) tall, 33-kilogram (73 lb) robot is equipped with eye cameras that record emotional expressions. Designed to learn like an infant, the robot can memorize facial expressions and match them with physical sensations, which it detects via 197 pressure sensors under a suit of soft, silicone skin.
In addition to watching faces, CB2 has been learning to walk. With 51 pneumatic "muscles," the little android can now amble through a room more smoothly than it could nearly two years ago, though it still requires the aid of a human.
Within two years, the researchers hope the robot will gain the intelligence of a two-year-old child and the ability to speak in basic sentences. In the coming decades, the researchers expect to develop a "robo species" that has learning abilities somewhere between those of humans and chimps.
[Link: AFP]
Trix
As interesting as this is...did people not learn from films like AI and I, Robot? Nothing good can come from clever robot people, they will always turn on you.... Plus its freaky looking!
[]x
bobbrown
frakkin toaster.
[]Jom
Do an android child dreams of an electric sheep?
[]sell ffxi gil
Sorry but he gives me the creeps. I can't stand looking at him. If he has a better physical feature, that would be great.
[]Timothy
@Trix AI was terrible. Read the novel I, Robot, that the film was based on. It did not feature hoards of evil robots. It was just based around the idea that a robot could gain valid emotions that could give it motive to murder. And, if I am correct, the robot in the novel did not actually kill anyone. But it just brought up the idea that maybe it could happen.
The fear of robots is similar to the fear of aliens. People are rationally afraid of what they perceive as above them. We are on the top of the ladder of intelligence. If some entity were to be a step or two above us we would react badly. And this robot does not have true intelligence. That's why they call it artificial. You can worry when it learns past the boundaries we create.
[]Ten
There's something incredibly eerie about the external structure, and that's probably the not-quite-human facial features. But other than that, this is incredibly impressive. The fact that it's mimicking infant behaviour is an extraordinary feat--congratulations to the people behind it. I'm wondering how close to sentience they're aiming to get.
[]mary trachtenberg
Its impressive and creepy. But what is the goal? We can't provide enough work for actual people, not to mention cope with their emotional problems, why create new artificial ones? What is the function of this thing? Why don't its makers apply their genius to something that would help the actual people here now?
[]Culturedropout
Timothy
2009.04.09 ::: 11:30 pm "AI was terrible. Read the novel I, Robot, that the film was based on."
Actually, I believe AI was based on the short-story "Super Toys Last All Summer Long". The movie "I, Robot" was based (loosely) on Asimov's book, "I, Robot". AI was a really good movie, in my opinion. The way humans interacted with robots and the reactions of humans to robots was very well done, up to and including the backlash against robots in the form of the "Flesh Fairs".
[]Daniel
really, if i get one robot like this, i would destroy it using hammer!
:D
horrible robot! :D
omG!
cya
[]nixie
I think that the technology is outstanding. And for all of you who keep saying this little guy is creepy, get over it, what do you look or act like? Plus even real babies are creepy.
[]Amanda
Uh! Ugly. Not even cute... but that's cool, i agree. I don't like children, so that's why... but cool it is...
[]Nae Nae
if i got one i would probably put some clothes on it at least, then it would look better probably. cool idiea though, as long as it doesn't reach an intelligence, above a middle schooler, thats where i draw the line or else we might have the next chuckie on our hands
[]Jamespe
Ha Ha, that's funny
[]Tetramegaman
Why does everyone think he's creepy?! hes soooo cooool. robots won't (might) take over the world
[]Satieva
BABY OR NOT! I would fckn destroy that thing! KICK THE BABY!
[]madson
exelente! estou estudando muito e espero um dia chegar a criar algo que ate voces vao duvidar!
[]Pauline
It's Wonderfulllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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