Uncanny human double exposed as robot when it blinks

Sandrine Ceurstemont, editor, New Scientist TV

Imagine having a robot twin that you could send to work in your place. For researcher Hiroshi Ishiguro, this scenario isn't so far-fetched: a few years ago he created his own machine replica that regularly replaces him in lecture halls while he transmits his voice to the robot remotely.

In this clip from the new documentary Samsara, directed by Ron Fricke, Ishiguro appears alongside his machine double, making it difficult to distinguish which is human. The production team asked for repetitive eye movements to be programmed into the robot before filming so that it was possible to tell the two apart. Later in the clip, a female android modelled after a real woman also appears.

Although humanoid robots are becoming increasingly lifelike, their body language still tends to betray them, making it hard to interact with them naturally. Humans often leak non-verbal information through eye movements or trembling hands, but it's difficult to endow robots with the same ability. Ishiguro's androids, however, seem to have realistic-enough expressions to make them accepted as companions. In 2010, one of his robots appeared in a theatre performance alongside human actors.

For more powerful images that explore humanity, and tour mysterious locations on Earth, check out the feature-length documentary Samsara, which opens in UK cinemas on 31 August.

If you have enjoyed this post, watch a deceptive robot that hints at machine self-awareness or see a humanoid robot mimic human expressions.

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/228cedf2/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Cnstv0C20A120C0A80Cuncanny0Ehuman0Edouble0Eexposed0Eas0Erobot0Ewhen0Eit0Eblinks0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fonline0Enews/story01.htm

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