Modern society is used to meet new super innovative technologies from year to year. Robots are not a big surprise for modern humans, but robots with lively mimics are ones who can really shock you. Why do people feel discomfort while looking at them and communicating with them ?
Psychologist Kristin Luser and neuroscientist Talia Whitley proved that the human brain distinguishes living from non-living and intelligent from non-intelligent. Where the rudiments of a human appear in an inanimate being, the effect of the “uncanny valley” appears. This effect means that only living and intelligent beings can express feelings through emotions. Therefore, a laughing doll or android causes discomfort.
But have you ever noticed that robots without faces are our everyday best friends? The closest example is cars! They are our first saviors of time, which make our life much more comfortable. If you want to feel the whole gamut of emotions from driving a car, come to the UAE and rent Cadillac in Dubai! Using renting cars instead of using public transport can save your time and offer a great range of luxury rental cars. Moreover, these rental services are provided for quite affordable prices. You will surely find your perfect option.
At the end of 2021, Engineered Arts demonstrated a model that impresses with its liveliness of the “face” and gesticulation. The model is incredibly realistic, which can even scare. The facial expressions of the Ameca robot were displayed in a teaser released by the company.
The sight of the robot aroused strong emotions in people and attracted a lot of attention. In the video, the robot straightens its shoulders, opens its eyes and expresses a sincere shocked or surprised look. He has a furrowed forehead, he blinks several times, his gaze is very attentive and intent. The short clip ends with the robot reaching out and smiling as it looks directly at the camera. There is a complete feeling that this is a living being.
Even earlier, in June 2021, engineers from Columbia University created a realistic robot with soft blue “skin”. The robot was named Eve, and its task is to imitate human emotions. The head with artificial intelligence, reading the expressions on people’s faces, reproduces them with the help of artificial muscles.
How does it work ?
The team created a bust with various computer-controlled muscle points. The intricately shaped parts were 3D printed, and then the researchers began a multi-step learning process. First, Eve had to realize what her own face looked like. To do this, the team shot many hours of footage depicting herself with different facial muscle movements. The robot saw itself as a person communicating via videoconference and remembered various “situations”. After that, Eva’s internal neural networks learned to compare which team is responsible for this or that mimic movement. At the final stage, the frames with the face of Eve were replaced with the faces of other people, and the robot repeated the same movements that it saw on the screen. So Eva can express six basic emotions: anger, disgust, fear, joy, sadness and surprise, as well as many more subtle reactions.
Remember that robots are now our friends. But it doesn’t mean that they will not become our enemies if we start to be lazy and to use robots instead of ourselves and people in everyday routine. Find the balance between enjoying them and being aware of them!
