Japanese Scientists Create Feminine Fashion Robot
Scientists in Japan have created a robot capable of modeling the latest fashions on the Tokyo catwalk, the AFP reported.
The feminine humanoid runs on 42 motion motors programmed to mimic the movements of real life fashion models. “She” has shoulder length hair, big eyes and a small nose.
The robot, called cybernetic human HRP-4C, made its media debut by introducing itself at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology outside Tokyo.
The runway robot stands around five foot two inches tall and weighs only 95 pounds, with batteries included. She has a silver metallic body and a manga-influenced human face.
Humanoid research leader Shuji Kajita, one of the inventors, said if his team had made the robot too similar to a real human, it would have been uncanny.
"We have deliberately leaned toward an anime style," he added.
The HRP-4C has been developed mainly for use in the entertainment industry but is not for sale at the moment, the institute said.
Journalists transmitted wireless commands to the robot as she posed for photographers and television crews, striking a variety of poses and facial features.
Occasionally, the fem-bot would mix up facial expressions””something her inventors said happens when her sound recognition sensors are overwhelmed.
The fashion robot is set to make her first professional appearance on March 23 during a Tokyo fashion show.
The institute said HRP-4C cost more than $2 million to complete.
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