Getting cuddly with Actroid

He has created the perfect woman. Her only flaw: she isn't human.
- Star Trek, "Requiem for Methuselah"

On a recent visit to robot maker Kokoro, I got a backstage tour of the magic and spent some quality time with their lovely lady android, mentioned in an earlier post. Actroid is a synthetic female, ultra-lifelike in appearance and movement. I'd seen her several times at various events, but at Kokoro I got to get up close and kick the tires, as it were.

Actroid is designed to work as a receptionist or emcee. The receptionist version sits in a sensor-laden booth and can answer questions in four languages, almost like a fortuneteller. Four receptionist Actroids gave directions to visitors at the 2005 Aichi Expo in Japan. The latest emcee version, Actroid DER2, stands on a platform, generally looks gorgeous and introduces stage acts. She's equipped with 46 servomotors and a repertoire of sassy comments, like "Please don't touch me -- it's sexual harassment!"

Never one to take "no" from an android, I squeezed the Charmin. Her skin is soft and smooth, though cold. Somewhat like a rubber chicken. With her winsome looks and totally gyaru wardrobe - she goes out in Hello Kitty t-shirts, a nod to parent company Sanrio - it's easy to overlook this shortcoming. All she needs is a little warmth in her silicone hide.

A mind would be nice, too. The wizards at Kokoro, however, are already working on this. A company official told me the firm is pursuing collaborative artificial intelligence research to make Actroid more humanlike. With warm skin and a sharper tongue, who knows what she'd be capable of?

Global revolution, methinks.

This little piggy

Want to encourage your budding little industrialist? This nifty piggy bank, mentioned in an earlier post, teaches children the important virtues of thrift and factory automation. Let's see a mutual fund do that!

Not only does this bank have a coin receptacle guarded by a multi-jointed robot arm, it boasts AI functionality: it's a "decision maker." The user asks a question, pulls the lever and gets pithy responses like "never." Sounds a bit grim, but kids have to learn the hard facts of life when it comes to all those eternal questions. Like, when do I get my money back?

Never!

Your future living room, now

The University of Tokyo has opened an exhibition showcasing a robotic "living room of the future," another example of plans to make robots part of daily life in Japan.

The living room has sensors in the walls and floor to track and respond to users. Sit down by the desk and the robot lamp automatically swings over to illuminate your book. Summon the robot valet for tea -- here a modified version of AIST's Promet humanoid -- and not only does the automaton pour and serve the drink, it washes up afterward. Professor Tomomasa Sato of the Graduate School of Information Science and Technology says robots should be able to wash bento lunchbox trays as well.

Check out the NHK TV report here.