Pipe 3D2 As I walk through the valley of the uncanny....

As I walk through the valley of the uncanny....

by
in science on (#3D2)
...I will fear no automaton.

While most of the world works on purpose built robotics, such as the Big Dog project or various search and rescue bots, Japan boldly steps into the Uncanny Valley.


From the land that gave us Gundam Wing and the worlds first virtual pop star, comes robotics ripped right from the pages of science fiction.

There's Pepper, a robot who resembles a scaled down Rosie from the Jetsons, but is as yet little more than an expensive toy, and the truly uncanny robots being developed with the vision of being versatile, all around assistants. Japan is truly trailblazing the valley.
So it really is no surprise that the country is on the leading edge of robot technology, and a visit to the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, known as Miraikan (Future Hall) in Tokyo really drives home the point.

Here, visitors can interact with ASIMO, the Honda-developed android that can run, perform tasks, and interact with people. Honda first unveiled ASIMO a decade ago, and even today it remains a futuristic vision of what robotics may one day hope to achieve on a consumer scale.

Miraikan also houses other, interactive automatons that show glimpses of what life might be like in 15, 20, or 30 years.

There's Otonaroid, who looks like a young Japanese woman with silicone skin, flowing hair, and blinking eyes.

And then there's Kodomoroid, an android newscaster that reads headlines to museum visitors, and Telenoid, a creepy-looking communication device that allows you to "speak" to friends or loved ones who are far away -- and feel as if you are sitting with them. You can hold and hug the Telenoid, and it hugs you back with its little stubs for arms.

From housework helpers which can ease the burden of a range of daily chores -- like Twenty-One, the multipurpose home care droid currently under development at Tokyo's Waseda University.

With a humanoid upper body and wheeled base, it boasts a dexterity and mobility that would be helpful in any number of tasks, including assisting the elderly.
While there is a long way to go before we start seeing Blade Runner quality androids running down the street. Japan has made amazing progress in the last few decades. As the advent of personalized, humanoid robots in the home inches closer to reality

History

2014-07-21 10:08
Japan's Robot Revolution and the Uncanny Valley
zafiro17@pipedot.org
Bladerunner, the Jetsons, I, Robot: our fascination with a future world where robots serve (and sometimes kill) fear no automats continues unabated.

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But while most of us are just idly daydreaming what theat world of automated companions would look like, or worksing on purpose -built robotics, such as thlike Big Dog project or various search and rescue bots>, Japan boldis aggressively stepus hintog the envelope on robotics research. In fact, by most accounts, they've got us Uncsquannrely Valley.
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CNN has published an interesting doverview of the Robot Reveolutiopedn in Japan1. And it's pretty amazing. Start with the world's first virtual pop star, or Pepperailblazing, the valley.
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Miraikan
also houses other, interactive automatons that show glimpses of what life might be like in 15, 20, or 30 years.

.. There's Otonaroid, who looks like a young Japanese woman with silicone skin, flowing hair, and blinking eyes.

... And then there's Kodomoroid, an android newscaster that reads headlines to museum visitors, and Telenoid, a creepy-looking communication device that allows you to "speak" to friends or loved ones who are far away -- and feel as if you are sitting with them. You can hold and hug the Telenoid, and it hugs you back with its little stubs for arms.</br/>
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