Getting interviewed by an Android

Getting interviewed by an Android

updated by rck, 2005-08-16

Robots kept fascinating me for years. When I was very young, I got a toy-robot as a present. But I've been disappointed, it was nothing more than a tape player.

Still, I've been monitoring the progress robots -- and especially androids, human like robots -- made. And they never failed to amaze me. The current c't even wrote about an android that interviewed people who passed by. Quite amazing.

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The interviewer who is a robot
cannot find link 624 and cannot find link 629 raised my interest in androids again. Unlike for example Aibo, the Robot-Dog, the Repliees can actually talk very understandable and clear. While the motions still look artificial to me the overall appearance is already very convincing. Look for example at the video of Q2 and observe the facial expressions. Too bad the video is japaneese. I'd really like to understand what the android asked the young man. Also, did you notice? He didn't want to get too near to her, as he seemed to be a bit afraid of her. As soon as he got nearer while pointing to something, she stopped moving for a little while. The whole thing is very interesting, not only from a technical aspect. But also from a psychological one.

The interviewer who is a robot

cannot find link 624 and cannot find link 629 raised my interest in androids again. Unlike for example Aibo, the Robot-Dog, the Repliees can actually talk very understandable and clear. While the motions still look artificial to me the overall appearance is already very convincing. Look for example at the video of Q2 and observe the facial expressions.

Too bad the video is japaneese. I'd really like to understand what the android asked the young man. Also, did you notice? He didn't want to get too near to her, as he seemed to be a bit afraid of her. As soon as he got nearer while pointing to something, she stopped moving for a little while.

The whole thing is very interesting, not only from a technical aspect. But also from a psychological one.

More power and more senses

like the Q1/2, the panorama cam used here is from the Osaka university

panoramic view

In some aspects, robots are already even more powerful than humans. Look for example at industrial robots. They can lift things far beyond human possibilities. They can solder metal together. They do the same stuff over and over again without getting bored or thinking about strikes.

But back to Q2. The android (or is it a her? I can't decide...) isn't built for power. Still, it is able to sense other things than humans do. If you watch the video, you'll see an additional camera. Also, the carpet it is standing on is full of sensors as well. Given enough computing power, androids can have quite a lot more senses than humans will ever be able to.

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The interviewer who is a robot
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