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Researchers write comedy rulebook for joke-telling robots
Imagine if, at some point in the future, groups of humans were force-marched down to their local theater to watch Jerry Seindroid or Stewbot Lee say "Hey, so what's the deal with humans, eh?" How would our robotic overloads know what zingy one-liners to crack, in order to keep us amused and distracted? As it turns out, the team behind the KOBIAN Emotional Humanoid robot has spent the last few months writing down the rulebook for robotic comedians. Volunteers were wired up to sensors that monitored their reactions to joke-telling, and the team has concluded that dirty jokes, exaggeration and imitation are some of the more effective way to get a laugh. There's a video showing some of the highlights of KOBIAN's bits, but we should warn you that, thanks to the language barrier, you might not find the jokes funny in the way that they're intended. (Actually, no, they're hilarious.)
KOBIAN humanoid robot packs full range of emotions to creep you out
Japan's Tmsuk and Waseda University have certainly proven themselves capable of pushing the boundaries of robotics on their own, but few could have been prepared for what they were able devise when they teamed up, their creation itself included. That somewhat startled face you see above is the KOBIAN Emotional Humanoid Robot, which is not only able to walk about and interact with humans, but use its entire body in addition to its facial expressions to display a full range of emotions. That's apparently possible in part thanks to a new double-jointed neck that lets it achieve some more expressive postures and, of course, a slew of motors in its face that lets it move its lips, eyelids and those all-important eyebrows. Still sleeping a little too comfortably? Then head on past the break for the video. There's always a video.[Via Pink Tentacle]
