'Photo real' robotics to keep toddlers and the elderly from freaking out

We know what you're thinking: your Roomba 532 really does a number on the carpet, but where is the love? At this year's SIGGRAPH in Los Angeles, Taisuck Kwon (from the Kyushu Institute of Design) demonstrated his latest work in the realm of "photo real" robots: robots designed to reproduce the facial expressions that human beings take for granted. Unlike the robots that assemble consumer electronics or detonate IEDs, the photo real robots convey emotions, using articulated humanoid facial features designed to put people at ease, "especially seniors and toddlers." The robots have an underlying mechanical configuration that mimics the muscle structure of the human face, involving 26 moving units in total, with servomotors and actuators used to manipulate "muscles" beneath the "skin." Our only regret is that this technology wasn't available when Disney World last updated its Hall Of Presidents.

[KrustyOrama @ Sep 11th 2008 7:53PM]

That is Achmet

[m-p{3} @ Sep 11th 2008 8:32PM]

This is.. SPARTA!

[REMEMBER 911 @ Sep 11th 2008 9:08PM]

Doesn't freak out toddlers or the elderly... The rest of us are terrified.

[REMEMBER 911 @ Sep 11th 2008 9:09PM]

Doesn't freak out toddlers or the elderly... The rest of us are terrified.

[Rubicon @ Sep 11th 2008 9:14PM]

you mean achmed?

[Oliver @ Sep 11th 2008 7:54PM]

i like the name... like tI suck kwon.

[ferrell @ Sep 11th 2008 8:08PM]

Um...

How is a robot that looks like it came out of Hellraiser supossed to "...put people at ease"???

[scott @ Sep 11th 2008 8:26PM]

they put skin on it...




duh.

[JR @ Sep 11th 2008 8:13PM]

Doesn't freak out toddlers or the elderly... The rest of us are terrified.

[JerryA @ Sep 11th 2008 9:34PM]

That's the "uncanny valley" effect there.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_Valley

[Matt @ Sep 11th 2008 8:15PM]

robots should not have emotions

[absurdio @ Sep 11th 2008 8:17PM]

Yeah. I hear the robot renditions of facial expressions like "homicidal rage" and "stony mercilessness" are going to be absolutely spot on.

[Podaman @ Sep 11th 2008 9:07PM]

Don't forget "high as a fucking kite".

[)law( @ Sep 11th 2008 8:19PM]

does that skynet can finally watch the young and the restless and cry?

[Chris @ Sep 11th 2008 8:26PM]

So even robots need braces now, whats the world come to!

[Mr. Ford @ Sep 11th 2008 8:51PM]

The big ear'd one looks like a burn victim hopped up on opium. "...Oh, these little burn marks? I don't feel them one bit. Howz-about a glass of tea? It seems as though I spilled the coffee [on my face]."

[imec @ Sep 11th 2008 9:04PM]

Those foolish scientists fail to differentiate between speechless horror and calmness.

[Stiv @ Sep 11th 2008 9:35PM]

Seriously - when are researchers going to realize people don't care if robots can convey emotion? We really, really don't care. A robot is essentially an appliance - does anyone care if their dishwasher is pretending to feel sad, or their toaster is perky? Make a robot functional, make sure it can't kill us, and we'll be happy.

[Echo1 @ Sep 11th 2008 11:21PM]

That makes me think of the brave little toaster (the original version)

[Shunnabunich @ Sep 12th 2008 1:32AM]

Speak for yourself. I'm still waiting for my robot girlfriend.

[xtian @ Sep 12th 2008 2:21AM]

Just like we don't care about the looks of our gadgets or how flashy its GUI is? When these robots come to markets the flamewars on engadget will be about which one is prettiest and has the coolest expressions.

[tekdemon @ Sep 12th 2008 7:04AM]

Don't listen to that mean old Stiv, Skynet. Papa knows that there's evil humans who think robots are just appliances, but I know you'll show them that you have real emotions and intelligence. And then you'll really show Stiv how wrong he was!

[S2day @ Sep 11th 2008 9:35PM]

헐...;

[mousekopf @ Sep 12th 2008 2:02AM]

Hadn't Stan Winston been doing this for the past thirty years?

[grifmx @ Sep 12th 2008 4:06AM]

All human-like robots are boring until they are as advanced as "Westworld" and "iRobot".

Since those are movies, I guess human-like robotics are - boring.

Send them back to work in the car factories!

[Taisuck KWON @ Sep 12th 2008 10:57AM]

Hi!!!
My name is Taisuck Kwon.
My Website is “www.ainst.org”

[JRK @ Sep 12th 2008 11:29AM]

That's some pretty crazy stuff. It reminds of the stuff you see produced by LifeFormations. They're the ones that did the Lincoln Museum that was all over the news a few years back. "www.lifeformations.com"

[brad77 @ Sep 12th 2008 1:45PM]

I don't know if this is the right approach. Honda's research took them in a completely different direction: Make your robot cute and less human looking and people won't be afraid of it.

The uncanny valley affect here is likely to freak people out. Accurate facial expressions will likely serve to make things worse, IMO.