Kansei, Japan's emotional android

Dude, we're not in the Uncanny Valley any more; researchers at Japan's Robot and Science Institute are taking us for a stroll through the freaking Leatherface Valley with Kansei, a creepy new robot with a vocabulary of over 430,000 words that's designed to react emotionally to whatever it's discussing. If you've been waiting for a robot that can turn that frown upside down this is it — researchers have taught Kansei how to smile when it's happy and frown when it's sad by using word association software to build an artificial intelligence program that allows the bot to make judgements about whether it likes something or not.

[Via Mike's List]

[Jamaicanbwoydre @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Gawd that thing looks creepy!! Can't look at it for more than 5 seconds without cringing.

[lupinstel @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

That "skin" is more distracting than metal and wires would be.

[mister fingers @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

I, for one, can't wait for our leatherface robot overlords.

[Truth @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Last week these Japanese men broke in to my flat restrained me and took a mold of my face, I wondered what they were going to do with, and now I know.

[old one @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

all of your face are belong to us

[Zeek @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

ok, computer

[ShaolinTrooper @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

I DID NOT MURDER HIM!!!!

[Gleb Serbin @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

they dont need faces! just give em a tft screen or one of them facy flexible majiggers, makes em more efficient at presenting data. facial expressions can be confusing while a smiley or message is very clear. and DEFINATELY less creepy.

All that AI is wonderful but what i want is something that can make cold, logical, mathematical-based decisions for me at the press of a button so i dont have to stand there and wonder which product i want.

i dont want a robo-friend, i just want something to make my life a little less complicated.

[jnasato @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

AHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

All right... they seriously need a sculptor to go in there and make a proper face for that thing...

[dobiegillis @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

This picture is disturbing.

[Pip @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Damn, all the stupid catch phrases have been used already.

oh oh. I got one. In Soviet Russia, robots wear YOU!

[uclatommy @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

where is sarah connor?

[Alexis @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Nice, now robots don't need any weapon to exterminate humans. Just by looking at him I want to shoot myself!

[alek @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

wow, that is honestly one of the creepiest looking things i've ever seen. shit.

[oh jeebus! @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

I'd like to think if Edgar Allen Poe were alive today, he'd make something like that. Oh, damn. I'm gonna have some serious nightmares from that thing.

[kelly @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

hmm, i think creatives design team was on loan for this one.

[Anonymous Coward @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

The eyes appear to be upside down

[eric @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Shiznights! And the discovery.com page has a vid (albeit, low quality)! I think this thing wants to eat my skin...

[TC @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Didn't RoboCop look like this under his visor?

[Google Nazi @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

I didn't see the vid on discovery.com.... Where is the vid?

Also.. "Now that I am dying I now know what it means to be alive, and to love...... *dies*"

[Rusty Shackleford @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Emotional Androids don't kill People: The Government Does.

[Adeel Ahmad @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

So Kansai is Japanese for Michael Jackson?

[Peter Dsouza @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

looks human. we are defining humanity. cool. you rock.

[Adeel Ahmad @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

So Kansai is Japanese for Michael Jackson?

[Peter Dsouza @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

looks human. we are defining humanity. cool. you rock.

[Chir @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

There is a so-called "law" regarding humanoid robotics that states that the more a robot resembles a human, the more creepy and scary that robot would be perceived. So, until robots can mimic humans perfectly, it will be a creepy journey for all of us.

[TC @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Cooky#25 you'll have to stop it laughing when you drop your pants first

[brownopher @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Here's the video link:

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/media/roboemote.html

[Topmounter @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Cooky,

You should try properly inflating your girlfriend first, it makes things go much better ;)

[ipodman715 @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

lol, the scary FACE!!

[Tim @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

the more I look at it, the more creepy it is

[uclatommy @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Hello, nice to meet you. I can display a full array of human emotions. My name is KaWHERE IS SARAH CONNOR?

[kaipri @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

man, i think i found my next stunt double

[Des @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

LOL ShaolinTrooper

[strider_mt2k @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

He's GUMBY dammit!

[strider_mt2k @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Doctor Who called, he needs his special effects back.

[Chir @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Where is Sarah Connor?

Lurk more.

[Mitch @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

emotion android, that things a freak
if i woke up and saw that thing grinning at me i'd probably piss my pants

[Chase Bailey @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

That picture reminds me of those kids from Pink Floyd's The Wall.

[Chase Bailey @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

That picture reminds me of those kids from Pink Floyd's The Wall.

[Brett @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

who the heck opens their mouth like that when they're frowning? This is research money gone down the pooper

[anon @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

dat ting noos more vocatbeulary den i do. hail o mity one.

[hall @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

oh my god, it's so creepy

[benhc911 @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

it would be very hard to make an artificial face that looks "normal" when expressing itself, as well as in standby. You would need a flexible surface, and many actuators (muscles) that stretch and contract certain parts... so they would have to have a substance with similar charictaristics as skin, and one sctuator for every muscle, that has the proper range of movement. Then the "skin" must be anchored at certain points to imitate actuality. Then finally they would need some apparent bone structure (ie. cheekbones) that becomes more or less apparent as the face moves. I guess for bonus marks they can be sure to give the nose and ears a cartalidge consistancy, but have the openings of the nose covered with normal skin, and have a realistic tongue, uvula (for layman, the dangly thing), teeth and hair.

In conclusion, for now I think they are spending more effort on the AI and physical abilities (ie strength and range of movement) of the robot. So I'm not terrible suprised that the face is less than accurate. It would take a lot of artisitic effort to make if believable.

[jorellh @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

I thought it was Mazda who incorporated Kansei Engineering in their design.

[Pirate Mike @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

It's actually a lot better looking than some of my neighbours.

[Samuel Lago @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Looks like to one out of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre., I'm surprised actually that after 46 comments someone had not mentioned this.

[narco @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

I am the only one who thought the advertisement for Iams that came on before the video was actually more entertaining than the actual video? Cat walk, why didn't I think of that.

Fishes,
narco.

[James @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Well go figure that thing is from japan. they were probably designing the face after the deformed victims that the hiroshima bomb made. hahahah!

[Marshall @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Or maybe they were designing it after how a japanese women's face would look if they bound her head too.