Geminoid-DK: Professor’s Robotic Duplicate Creepy or Cool?

geminoid dk

via spectrum.ieee.org

 

I’ve had a few professors in my day that made me question their abilities.  However, I always assumed they were human.  There is now at least one professor out there that isn’t.  Technology has advanced to a point where identical versions of people can be created.  A professor in Denmark has taken advantage of that.  Techland.time.com reported, “in conjunction with Professor Henrik Scharfe of Aalborg University in Denmark, has created a robotic version of the associate professor that looks identical to him. If it weren’t enough that the robot looked exactly like Scharfe, it also mimics the professor’s shrugs and facial expressions.”

This particular robot will be used to study human interaction with robots to study emotional affordances.  This robot is called a geminoid. According to CNews.net, “Geminoids are basically remote-controlled slave robots powered by a quiet air servo system. They mimic the facial expressions, lip movements, and body motions of a human user through motion-tracking gear and an Internet link.”  A motion-capture system follows an individual’s head movements and expressions.  If the operator moves their mouth, the geminoid does the same.

For some more really interesting pictures of geminoids, check out Spectrum’s article.

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