Another Approach to Human-Robot Interaction
Professor Okada studies human-robot interaction by creating weak robots. But there are other approaches to this kind of study. Professor Ishiguro at Osaka University has been working on androids, or humanlike robots.
Androids used to belong in science-fiction movies, but now we come across them in every corner of our lives: in hotels, shopping malls, museums, and even theaters.
A play called Sayonara is going on in a small theater. Two women actors are talking to each other. The people in the theater know that one of the actors is an android which is remotely controlled by another actor. It speaks with the voice of a real woman and its movements are humanlike.
When the play starts, everyone in the theater is watching the android, but as the play goes on, they forget that one of the actors is an android. The android is so humanlike that they accept it as a real actor by the end of the play.
The android in Sayonara was created by Ishiguro Hiroshi, a robotics researcher known for his androids. He says that there are two steps in creating androids which will look fully human. First, you have to capture typical characteristics of humans—their expressions and body movements. Second, you need remote-control machines to transfer human speech and movements to the android.
Ishiguro believes that this will lead to androids that look and speak like human beings. Ishiguro has created many androids of famous people, including Natsume Soseki, Shibusawa Eiichi, Katsura Beicho, Matsuko Deluxe, and others. Ishiguro even made a copy of himself, which he named Geminoid HI. It speaks with his voice. When Ishiguro tilts his head, Geminoid HI tilts its head too. Geminoid HI speaks and behaves as if it were Ishiguro himself.
The android resembles Ishiguro so much that he sends it to conferences abroad instead of attending the conferences himself. He stays in Japan and controls Geminoid HI remotely through his computer. When the android speaks, people actually feel that Ishiguro is there in person.
Robotic technology is so advanced that the borderline between humans and androids is gradually disappearing. But not everyone feels at ease with androids. When androids seem almost human but are not quite human, many people feel uneasy. Some people say that androids are “creepy.” This creepiness is sometimes called the “uncanny valley.”
Ishiguro is now working hard to cross over this valley. Before overcoming the creepiness, however, he needs to ask various questions: How do we express emotions? How do the facial muscles react to emotions? How often and when do we blink? What kind of gestures, both voluntary and involuntary, do we use when communicating with others? These questions will lead to a better understanding of human feelings and behavior, which in turn will help Ishiguro create a more humanlike android. In the end, the goal of his project is to discover what it means to be human.
Professor Okada studies human-robot interaction by creating weak robots. But there are other approaches to this kind of study. Professor Ishiguro at Osaka University has been working on androids, or humanlike robots.
Androids used to belong in science-fiction movies, but now we come across them in every corner of our lives: in hotels, shopping malls, museums, and even theaters.
A play called Sayonara is going on in a small theater. Two women actors are talking to each other. The people in the theater know that one of the actors is an android which is remotely controlled by another actor. It speaks with the voice of a real woman and its movements are humanlike.
When the play starts, everyone in the theater is watching the android, but as the play goes on, they forget that one of the actors is an android. The android is so humanlike that they accept it as a real actor by the end of the play.
The android in Sayonara was created by Ishiguro Hiroshi, a robotics researcher known for his androids. He says that there are two steps in creating androids which will look fully human. First, you have to capture typical characteristics of humans—their expressions and body movements. Second, you need remote-control machines to transfer human speech and movements to the android.
Ishiguro believes that this will lead to androids that look and speak like human beings. Ishiguro has created many androids of famous people, including Natsume Soseki, Shibusawa Eiichi, Katsura Beicho, Matsuko Deluxe, and others. Ishiguro even made a copy of himself, which he named Geminoid HI. It speaks with his voice. When Ishiguro tilts his head, Geminoid HI tilts its head too. Geminoid HI speaks and behaves as if it were Ishiguro himself.
The android resembles Ishiguro so much that he sends it to conferences abroad instead of attending the conferences himself. He stays in Japan and controls Geminoid HI remotely through his computer. When the android speaks, people actually feel that Ishiguro is there in person.
Robotic technology is so advanced that the borderline between humans and androids is gradually disappearing. But not everyone feels at ease with androids. When androids seem almost human but are not quite human, many people feel uneasy. Some people say that androids are “creepy.” This creepiness is sometimes called the “uncanny valley.”
Ishiguro is now working hard to cross over this valley. Before overcoming the creepiness, however, he needs to ask various questions: How do we express emotions? How do the facial muscles react to emotions? How often and when do we blink? What kind of gestures, both voluntary and involuntary, do we use when communicating with others? These questions will lead to a better understanding of human feelings and behavior, which in turn will help Ishiguro create a more humanlike android. In the end, the goal of his project is to discover what it means to be human.