August 2, 2006

Top 5 Humanoid robots

by Dhiram Shah

Robots are a thing of the past says Hiroshi Ishiguro Professor of university of Osaka who beleives Androids or human replicas are the next big thing. Not only do they look like humans they also act like one. We have compiled a list of Top 5 Humanoid robots.
No 5 – Repliee Q1Expo
Repliee Q1Expo is a life like female android which has 42 actuators in her upper body powered by an air compressor allowing her to move like a human. She can flutter her eyelids and move her hands like a human. She even appears to breathe. Repliee Q1 has skin made from a silicon substance has 11 piezoelectric sensors embedded in it to detect if someone is touching her.

No 4 – Repliee R1
Predecessor to the Repliee Q1Expo, the R1 is an android depecting a 6 year old Japanese girl. She has around 9 motors in her head and can move eyes, eyelids, mouth, and neck. The silicone skin makes her more realistic. With 4 sensors under her skin she responds to touch.

No 3 – The first Female Robot
Brainchild of Takashi San it is the first female robot. Though it does not bear human resemblance it can perform a graceful catwalk with all the twists, turns and poses of a supermodel. The Female Robot stands 35cms tall has a carbon fibre body and is powered by a Lithium Polymer battery.

No 2 – Repliee Q2Expo
The Repliee Q2ExpoA is a new and improved version of the Repliee Q1Expo. Not only can it sense touch it also reacts it. It is much more lifelike and can do much more than its predecessor.

No 1 – Geminoid HI-1
So the master decides to clone himself and we have the Geminoid HI-1 which is robot version of Hiroshi Ishiguro. It can be remote controlled via a motion capture system that tracks Ishiguro’s mouth movements and allows the bot to speak his voice. Just like the Professor it blinks and fidgets in its seat, moving its foot up and down restlessly, its shoulders rising gently as though it were breathing the movements are convincing that it is hard to beleive it is a machine as the video tells.