Humanoid Robot Capable Of Holding Intelligent Conversations With People
During a Hong Kong electronics fair on Saturday, April 18th, a humnoid robot programmed with human facial expressions greeted newcomers. Hanson Robotics’ creation, named “Han”, had a busy day holding conversations with people. Here’s a glimpse of the humanoid robot:
Han has 40 facial muscles that allow him to perform expressions such as wincing, smiling, winking, frowning or even acting drunk — these expressions can be controlled by an app on a mobile phone. Han is also equipped to respond to phenomena in his surrounding environment. He has several cameras in his eyes as well as his chest, which allow him to recognize a person’s gender, approximate age, and even mood.
A businessman, Harbhajan Singh Sethi, shared some humor with the robot. Sethi said, “I think you are [the] perfect man for my wife”, and Han the robot replied, “I don’t have to do whatever you say. I have my own free will”. What impressed Sethi was not only the fact that Han could make jokes, but that Han answers to the point.
Grace Copplestone, the product manager at Hanson Robotics, says they are interested in three particular markets: hospitality, entertainment, and health care. Hanson Robotics aims to incorporate Han’s technology into a Eurasian female version, called Eva, and plans to produce many female versions this year. Hanson Robotics has yet to determine a price per unit.
