Osaka: Japanese researchers said Saturday they
have developed a humanoid robot that can laugh and smile as it
mimics a person`s facial expressions.
The robot, Geminoid TMF, can move its rubber facial skin
to imitate a smile, a laugh showing teeth, and a grim look
with furrowed brows, by receiving electric signals from the
person it is modelled on.
The researchers demonstrated with a robot made to look
exactly like an attractive woman in her 20s with long dark
hair. The woman and the robot were dressed in the same clothes
- a black skirt and black leather jacket.
The robot smiled and furrowed its brow in almost
simultaneous mimicry of the woman, whose face was filmed with
a video camera which then provided information on her
expressions to the robot through electric signals.
"I felt like I had a twin sister," the woman told
reporters afterwards.
The developers said they expected the robot to be
eventually used in real-life situations, for example in
hospitals.
"We`ve already got some data showing that the robot gave
patients psychological security by nodding and smiling at
them, when patients were checked on by doctors," said Satoko
Inoue, spokeswoman for Kokoro, one of the two companies
involved in the development.
PTI
