Tag Archives: uncanny valley
Samsung sheds light on its ‘artificial human’ project
Samsung has been drumming up hype for its Neon 'artificial human' project, and now it's clearer as to what that initiative entails. Project lead Pranav Mistry has posted a teaser effectively confirming that Neon is nothing less than an effort to cre...
AI avatars of Chinese authors could soon narrate audiobooks
The Chinese search engine Sogou isn't stopping at AI news anchors. The company has created "lifelike" avatars of two Chinese authors, and it plans to have them narrate audiobooks in video recordings. According to the BBC, Sogou used AI, text-to-speec...
Why putting googly eyes on robots makes them inherently less threatening
At the start of 2019, supermarket chain Giant Food Stores announced it would begin operating customer assisting robots -- collectively dubbed Marty -- in 172 locations across the East Coast. These autonomous machines may navigate their respective sto...
Sony takes SOEmote live for EverQuest II, lets gamers show their true CG selves (video)
We had a fun time trying Sony's SOEmote expression capture tech at E3; now everyone can try it. As of today, most EverQuest II players with a webcam can map their facial behavior to their virtual personas while they play, whether it's to catch the nuances of conversation or drive home an exaggerated game face. Voice masking also lets RPG fans stay as much in (or out of) character as they'd like. About the only question left for those willing to brave the uncanny valley is when other games will get the SOEmote treatment. Catch our video look after the break if you need a refresher.
Sony takes SOEmote live for EverQuest II, lets gamers show their true CG selves (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 17:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |Baby robot Affetto gets a torso, still gives us the creeps (video)
It's taken a year to get the sinister ticks and motions of Osaka University's Affetto baby head out of our nightmares -- and now it's grown a torso. Walking that still-precarious line between robots and humans, the animated robot baby now has a pair of arms to call its own. The prototype upper body has a babyish looseness to it -- accidentally hitting itself in the face during the demo video -- with around 20 pneumatic actuators providing the movement. The face remains curiously paused, although we'd assume that the body prototype hasn't been paired with facial motions just yet, which just about puts it the right side of adorable. However, the demonstration does include some sinister faceless dance motions. It's right after the break -- you've been warned.
Continue reading Baby robot Affetto gets a torso, still gives us the creeps (video)
Filed under: Robots
Baby robot Affetto gets a torso, still gives us the creeps (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jul 2012 06:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink
Plastic Pals | 
Project Affetto (YouTube) | Email this | Comments Beicho Android Robot Aims to Replace Japan’s Great Rakugo Master
Beicho Katsura III is a rakugo master and is kind of a Living National Treasure in Japan. Rakugo, for those who don’t know, is an early Japanese form of entertainment. Basically, a storyteller. This guy sits on stage and uses a paper fan and small piece of cloth as his only props. The Rakugoka uses these as he narrates a long story. The robot seen here wants to take his job, like so many robots are apt to do.
This robot was created to honor the 86-year-old Beicho Katsura III and is the work of Osaka University professor Hiroshi Ishiguro and makeup artist Shinya Endo. The million dollar robot mimics the great storyteller pretty well with its head movements and facial expressions. It’s the usual creepy uncanny valley stuff and at times (maybe it’s just me) it looks just like Regis Philbin.
The Beicho Android will perform hourly impersonations of Beicho Katsura III at the Sankei Hall Breeze next month. Don’t miss it if you are in the area.
[via Ubergizmo]
Samsung files patents for robot that mimics human walking and breathing, ratchets up the creepy factor
As much as Samsung is big on robots, it hasn't gone all-out on the idea until a just-published quartet of patent applications. The filings have a robot more directly mimicking a human walk and adjusting the scale to get the appropriate speed without the unnatural, perpetually bent gait of certain peers. To safely get from point A to point B, any path is chopped up into a series of walking motions, and the robot constantly checks against its center of gravity to stay upright as it walks uphill or down. All very clever, but we'd say Samsung is almost too fond of the uncanny valley: one patent has rotating joints coordinate to simulate the chest heaves of human breathing. We don't know if the company will ever put the patents to use; these could be just feverish dreams of one-upping Honda's ASIMO at its own game. But if it does, we could be looking at Samsung-made androids designed like humans rather than for them.
Samsung files patents for robot that mimics human walking and breathing, ratchets up the creepy factor originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jun 2012 02:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |USPTO (1), (2), (3), (4) | Email this | Comments