Yes, Ameca's performance seems dramatic - but what should we expect from the company that introduced RoboThespian as a robot that you can rent to with the specific aim of impressing an audience?

Aneca is the latest in Engineered Arts line of humanoid robots for entertainment and communication. Its predecessor, and current house mate, Mesmer is described as "Your human lookalike" has both male and female "realistic" human forms, whereas Ameca seems androgenous and, while having human facial expression, isn't intended to pass for a person. 

Engineered Arts suggest that Ameca can be used for developing and testing AI and machine learning systems. However the company's own Tritium robot operating system is for remote operation, allowing you to talk to an audience through the robot.

While Ameca is a "full-size" humanoid robot, its torso has no movement. Its legs and feet are fixed, unlike its hands and arms which can mimic human behavior. What is remarkable about Ameca is its range of facial expressions. As well as being able to open its mouth, open and close its eyes and wink, it has the equivalent of muscles that can raise or lower its eyebrows. It also has mouth slew, which is a movement of the jaw and can smile, which uses "cheek muscles". So, Ameca can smile and be welcoming, can yawn and seem bored. It can frown and, even more extreme, express anger. As demonstrated in the video it can also look surprised and can appear to contemplate its own existence and even to conive with another person. It is this range of human expression that does indeed make it suitable for studying human-robotic interaction.

 

More Information

Engineered Arts

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