Remember the Actroid-F, the sympathetic robot built to console you as you pass on to the great beyond? Researchers at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Tokyo have created a male counterpart to the Actroid-F, whose upgrades include camera-eyes and a new hairdo.
https://gizmodo.com/this-hyper-realistic-hospital-droid-will-console-you-in-5674742
As the Actroids’ developers explained, gender boils down to your coiffure:
Mechanically, the two robots are the same, and if you take the wigs off, the faces are the same, too. We’ve created the male appearance using a wig and cosmetics. We think this makes Actroid-F a good test platform for comparing the impressions made by male and female robots.
I also like how they engage in some Cleverbot-style patter at the beginning of the video. Our robots may be able to switch haircuts on the fly, but their bedside manner needs some work, lest death feels like a visit to Chuck E. Cheese.
https://gizmodo.com/scientists-force-two-chatbots-to-have-a-conversation-p-5835508
[Diginfo via TechCrunch]
