La télé-robotique prend un nouvel essor ! Telenoid R1: Telepresence Just Got A Whole Lot Creepier. Apparently sick and tired of always being told their robots look creepy, Prof. Hiroshi Ishiguro and the researchers at ATR have designed the freakiest robot ever to help put the others in perspective. Telenoid R1, a telepresence android fit for a circus freak show, was co-developed by ATR with Eager Co. Ltd., which had already created a telepresence software called AvatarNT. As with their recent baby robots, Vstone provided the actuators. In all the robot measures 80cm (31″), weighs 5kg (11 lbs), and is able to move its eyes, open its mouth, tilt its head both horizontally and vertically, and wriggle its stubby limbs (9 actuators). Its ghoulish design is a reflection of its purpose, which is to establish presence with minimal expressiveness and movement. Prof. A user’s facial expressions are transmitted to the robot through software called FaceAPI, which tracks the eyes, mouth, and tilt of the head.
A couple of videos follow after the break for the curious. Media Video ( Mirror ): Images: TED Roundup: Heather Knight and Cynthia Breazeal Talk Robot Comedy and Interactivity. Heather Knight: Silicon-based comedy. Cynthia Breazeal: The rise of personal robots.