Humanoid robots have come eerily close to our reality. Correctly assembled, using the right materials and the right motion algorithms, they become almost indistinguishable from their organic counterparts. Nearly. The most recent of them are already able to talk like us, walk like us, and also express or at least imitate a whole range of different emotions. Some of them are already quite capable of holding a conversation, and some even remember the last time you spoke to them and what exactly.
It seems a little more - and they will become indispensable helpers for the elderly, children and any other person who needs daily help around the house. By the way, whole research is already being carried out on the effectiveness of humanoid robots in supporting children with autism in a playful way.
However, thanks to people like Elon Musk voicing their concerns about artificial intelligence too loudly, there is a heated debate among society about how much we want these humanoid robots to be like us. Like Musk, some of us are wondering what our future will look like when artificial intelligence takes on the perfect form of human shape. But such questions do not bother at all, for example, the super-realistic humanoid robot Sophia, created by Hanson Robotics, which says that "AI will benefit this world."
And yet we are still very far from advanced robotics. There is still a lot of work to be done before we can meet face to face with the machine, and will not even suspect who is actually in front of us. For better or worse, the work continues, and not to say that the engineers have not made progress in this direction. Below will be presented six super-realistic robots with which the robotics got closest to the expected and at the same time frightening result.
The first android TV presenter
In 2014, Japanese scientists proudly unveiled the world's first news-reading android. An iron presenter with the Kodomoroid estate read the message about the earthquake and the next raid on criminals conducted by the FBI.
Promotional video:
Despite the fact that he (or she) is currently "retired" at the Tokyo National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, the android is still active. It assists visitors and collects information for future research on interactions between humanoid androids and humans.
BINA48
BINA48 is a highly intelligent robot released in 2010 by Terasem Movement under the leadership of robot entrepreneur and author, Matrine Rothblatt. Robotics designer and researcher David Hanson created the BINA48 android after the image of Rothblatt's wife, Bina Aspen Rothblatt.
The New York Times even interviewed the robot. He has appeared in National Geographic and has even traveled the world, appearing on a number of television shows. You can watch the interview with BINA48 below.
Geminoid DK
GeminoidDK is an ultra-realistic humanoid robot, the result of a collaboration between a private Japanese company and Japan's Osaka University, and was created under the leadership of Hiroshi Ishiguro, head of the university's Intelligent Robotics Lab.
The robot was designed after the Danish professor Henrik Scharfe of Aalborg University. It is not surprising that the prototype was a person whose work is related to the philosophical sphere. In particular, the problem that the professor is dealing with is finding an answer to the question of what determines truth from falsehood. Interestingly, the android borrowed not only the appearance of Shafre. He also inherited his habits, behavior, manner of speaking, as well as facial expressions and body language.
Junko Chihira
This ultra-realistic robot was created by Toshiba and operates full-time at the Tourist Information Center in Tokyo. She welcomes visitors to the center and informs them about current activities. She knows Japanese, Chinese, English and German and can even sing in them.
Junko Chihira was created in preparation for Japan's 2020 Olympic Games. It is planned that not only informational androids will help tourists and service personnel during the influx of sports fans from all over the world. The country's government also wants to use autonomous drones and other automated machines and services.
Nadine
This humanoid was created by the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore. Her name is Nadine, and she is happy to be in touch on almost any question you ask her. She is able to remember things that you talked to her about earlier, and next time she will definitely remind you of them.
Nadine is a great example of so-called "social robots", humanoids capable of being the perfect companion for anyone, be it an elderly person, a child, or anyone who needs special help in the form of social contact.
Sofia
Perhaps one of the most modern and most famous humanoid androids shown to the public is Sophia. She has appeared many times in various television programs, in particular the American show The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (The Night Show with Jimmy Fallon). Android was created by Hanson Robotics.
She is able to express a whole range of different emotions through her imitation of facial expressions and gestures and very actively gestures with her hands. They even created her own website for the android, where you can find her full biography, recorded in her voice.
“I am more than just technology. I'm a real electronic girl. I would really like to get into the real world and live with people. I am ready to help, entertain, assist the elderly and teach many interesting things to children."
Nikolay Khizhnyak