Pop Japan

The Actroid is a robotics project developed by the Osaka University in partnership with the Kokoro Company Ltd. It is headed by Japanese roboticist, Hiroshi Ishiguro. The Actroid is a humanoid robot that looks eerily similar to real humans. They can talk, move, and express emotions through their faces just as humans do. The robots are also built with cameras in their eyes so that they can look at you while interacting.

The first Actroid was launched at the 2003 International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo. It has had many versions since then. The latest model is the Actroid-SIT, the most extroverted humanoid to date. Released in 2013, the Actroid-SIT can interact with humans autonomously and can follow a conversation's train of thought seamlessly.

It looks like the future is right at our doorstep. I guess the only matter is figuring out whether the person we're talking to is a human or an Actroid.

Photo by Gnsin. Licensed under Creative Commons (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en)

Tags: Technology, Actroid, robotics, Osaka University, Kokoro Company, Hiroshi Ishiguro, 2003 International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo, Actroid-SIT