Technology Stuff

Whether it is something to do with the weather or some bizarre robot-related rule isn’t clear, but June in Japan would appear to be the month for revealing freakish yet fascinating robots. As only days after the Japan Science and Technology Agency unveiled its utterly unsettling child-like CB2, Meiji University’s Robot and Science Institute has come out with Kansei (meaning sensibility), a deranged looking device that can depict feelings.

Capable of making up to 36 kinds of facial expressions, the robot can react to a word typed into its software; a database of over 500,000 words allowing it to calculate the required response — all the way from pleasantness,

to, erm, unpleasantness.

An undoubted advancement that unfortunately has been somewhat overshadowed by Kansei’s alarming likeness to the well known animated character Wallace. As despite being shrugged off by its creators as nothing but a mere coincidence, the robot’s rapturous response to the word ‘cheese’ has only made matters worse.

With Japan’s birth rate still worryingly low, the powers that be may not thank the Japan Science and Technology Agency for the unveiling its new humanoid robot last week.

An event that saw the organisation proudly showing off a 33-kilogramme effigy that can make facial expressions, react to its surroundings by blinking and stand up with assistance. Giving it a set of skills and abilities that its maker claims allows CB2 (Child-Robot with Biometric Body) to emulate the physical abilities of a 1- or 2-year-old toddler.

The only problem being that unlike the real thing, CB2 is neither comical nor cute — far from it in fact.

The not so little fella’s freakishly real — and at the same time not real — features quite possibly putting people off having kids forever.

Although that said, his (or indeed her) loving look up at its ‘father’ is possibly enough to melt even the coldest of hearts.

Perhaps.

Update: Very unsettling video reports.