MIT's Nexi bot wants to be your friend

MIT is really taking its robotics program to a whole new level with its "MDS" platform, which stands for Mobile, Dexterous and Social. The flagship bot so far is Nexi, who certainly fits the bill, albeit with an extra dab of creepy. The bot stands on a Segway-esque wheel base, has articulated arms and hands, and can convey a wide range of emotion with that pasty white face. Nexi has a computer on board to manage sensors and instinctual responses, while it offloads the heavy duty AI work to a stationary computer over the network. MIT's eventual goal is to have Nexi and others participate in Socially Situated Robot Learning -- observing and interacting with humans to figure out how best to integrate with them. Don't worry Nexi, we like you for you. Video is after the break.

[Via fresh creation]

[ecobore Posted Apr 3rd 2008 11:15AM]

MDS - Mildly Dangerous Sex?

[ecobore Posted Apr 3rd 2008 11:15AM]

MDS - Mildly Dangerous Sex?

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2008 1:11PM]

MDS = Madd Double-posting Skills.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2008 11:27AM]

step 1 to words the revolution!

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2008 12:17PM]

...what do you mean I can't go outside friendbot? I just want to go shopp....oh god! what are you doing!? no no no ahhghghghghhhh!

[StemSell Posted Apr 3rd 2008 11:38AM]

~~~~~~~

There once was a robot named Nexi
Whose facials ranged sad to perplex-y
Then wanked MIT guys
"Firmwared" in cyber sighs--
Now her "facial's" decidedly Sexi


~~~~~~~~

[Wwhat Posted Apr 3rd 2008 11:38AM]

You know if the japs make such creepy robots you can argue that they view things differently than we do, but since this is MIT I think we can assume these are meant and designed to be creepy, and I wonder why, a joke? Or a more psychological thought out reason?

[snowglyder Posted Apr 3rd 2008 12:24PM]

Oh God... it's happening.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2008 3:14PM]

Um... why not just bite the bullet, pay the fees and make it look like 3PO? Seriously, I would be less freaked out by 3PO than this creepy looking thing!

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2008 1:01PM]

1. The eyes seem to scream, we watch a lot of anime.

2. All that anime should have shown you how this would scare the shit out everyone.

3. Did I mention how this scares the shit out of EVERYONE.

[murray Posted Apr 3rd 2008 1:47PM]

I think people react better to less human-like robots. All we need is the vaguest person/animal form and we'll immediately anthropomorphize anything. But when it really starts to look like a person, many people get creeped out (as evidenced by the comments to this post). Make it look like Johnny Five, or somesuch, as we're more easily enamored.

I dunno, maybe I'm way off here, but I think they're wasting their resources creating lifelike faces for robots.

[DrK1LL Posted Apr 3rd 2008 1:58PM]

but will it blend??

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2008 2:27PM]

Everything blends n00bie! Everything plays Doom.

Go back to your Grammar Police spammin'... I think I preferred that.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2008 4:07PM]

As spooky as this looks this is a definate step forward.

hopefully NEXI 2.0 will have artificial skin,and hair,and maybe some hair.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2008 4:08PM]

Man that's awesome.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2008 4:54PM]

There's something off with that voice. Either speech engines have become way more realistic than I've realized, or they used a pre-recorded speech.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2008 4:54PM]

Wasn't this weird bot from the hard-to-find lost chapters in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?

But really, MIT did a great job. She... it... is fantastic, until she rolls into your darkened bedroom at 3am, reeeeeeal quiet like, right up to the side of your bed, and wakes you out of a dead sleep with LIGHTS FLASHING and SIRENS BLARING and that angry look on her face, baring sharp teeth and yelling, "I'M GONNA CHEW YOUR FACE OFF!!! I'M GONNA CHEW IT OFF!!!"

Or not.

[Cyantre Posted Apr 3rd 2008 5:02PM]

Somebody call Sarah Connor, SKYNET has begun! XD

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2008 5:08PM]

Whoa! Who designed the look for this thing--Tim Burton? If James Cameron passed the Terminator on to Burton, it would have looked like this!

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2008 5:09PM]

Whoa! Who designed the look for this thing--Tim Burton? If James Cameron passed the Terminator on to Burton, it would have looked like this!

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2008 5:27PM]

like we dont have enough real emos

[Eternal Density Posted Apr 3rd 2008 5:44PM]

Uncanny Valley For the Lose!

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2008 6:10PM]

@evilgrim

Crikey, I just got Rickrolled!

[Knight Posted Apr 3rd 2008 6:23PM]

Dead on! I knew it looked really familiar in a "holy shit, that thing is creepy" kinda way.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2008 7:53PM]

You know what would make this even creepier.. if they talked in unison, one with a higher pitched voice. Eeeegh!

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2008 11:52PM]

If this thing was in my house I wouldn't sleep, its almost as bad as my buddy, you guys remember my buddy, scary piece of crap!

[DomoBraden Posted Apr 3rd 2008 8:25PM]

It looks like Chucky without skin...

[Deputy Doofus Posted Apr 3rd 2008 8:37PM]

omg, I just crapped my pants,


It's Britney's head-shaved Robot invasion

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2008 9:15PM]

I'm freaked out by the look. It looks so human. iRobot anyone?

Man. I feel as if we're entering the era of Matrix already with this. And you know how it ended with :)

pick me up - http://www.pickmeuptoday.com

[SpydaKat Posted Apr 4th 2008 12:05AM]

Don't you love me? I love you...

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 4th 2008 2:14PM]

does he destroy Nexi bots?

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 5th 2008 1:43PM]

OMG! That was creepy as hell, but equally awesome the same time! Androids and the Future here we come!

On a side note, I can not even imagine the amounts of human resources put into this, and the hours it took to create. But I am impressed, and fully support this. The team that did this deserve major compliments.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 16th 2008 1:02AM]

Yeah, that is creepy. it has that kind of cold, spooky Japanese robot feel you would see out of an anime.