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Android Copy of Young Woman Unveiled In Japan

An anonymous reader writes "According to IEEE Spectrum, Japanese roboticist Hiroshi Ishiguro, who had previously built a robot copy of himself, has now created a new android — and it's a 'she.' Geminoid F, a copy of a woman in her 20s with long dark hair, exhibits facial expressions more naturally than Ishiguro's previous android. 'Whereas the Geminoid HI-1 has some 50 actuators, the new Geminoid F has just 12. What's more, the HI-1 robot requires a large external box filled with compressors and valves. With Geminoid F, the researchers embedded air servo valves and an air servo control system into its body, so the android requires only a small external compressor.' It's also much better looking. Has the Japanese android master finally overcome the uncanny valley?"

198 of 264 comments (clear)

  1. Oh hell yeah! by santax · · Score: 5, Funny

    I want one that looks like my girlfriend! Man, I'm gonna hack myself a mute-button into this one :D She's gonna be like, perfect!

    1. Re:Oh hell yeah! by sopssa · · Score: 5, Funny

      I want one that looks like my ex-girlfriend!

      FTFY

    2. Re:Oh hell yeah! by comrade+k · · Score: 5, Funny

      I want one that looks like my mother!

      FTFY.

      --
      "Every vision is a joke until the first man accomplishes it; once realized, it becomes commonplace." -Robert H. Goddard
    3. Re:Oh hell yeah! by negRo_slim · · Score: 1

      I want one that looks like Astro Boy, 'Let's Rocket!'

      --
      On the Oregon Cost born and raised, On the beach is where I spent most of my days
    4. Re:Oh hell yeah! by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      I want one that looks like my girlfriend!

      Why?

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    5. Re:Oh hell yeah! by b4upoo · · Score: 1

      I want one like that girl back in high school. And I want a really submissive one. Does it have a tongue?

    6. Re:Oh hell yeah! by somersault · · Score: 4, Funny

      All that remains is to switch the compressor from "blow" to "suck".

      The labelling nomenclature could probably be improved to avoid ambiguity.

      --
      which is totally what she said
    7. Re:Oh hell yeah! by santax · · Score: 1

      I like her !

    8. Re:Oh hell yeah! by Yvan256 · · Score: 1

      All that remains is to switch the compressor from "blow" to "suck".

      Ah yes, the Spaceball One model.

    9. Re:Oh hell yeah! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Funny, I want one that looks like your mother too.

    10. Re:Oh hell yeah! by Zakabog · · Score: 4, Funny

      His girlfriend probably reads slashdot and posting "I want one that looks like my girlfriend's sister!" might get him in a little trouble.

    11. Re:Oh hell yeah! by Walt+Dismal · · Score: 1

      I'll be damned if I'll have sex with something that has a small compressor powering it. Oh nuts - I hit return before I edited this.

    12. Re:Oh hell yeah! by Genda · · Score: 1

      Big deal, his girlfriend's a toaster... Hello!!! It's slashdot...

    13. Re:Oh hell yeah! by initialE · · Score: 1

      Just for my info, but is there such a thing as an ex-mother?

      --
      Starbucks, Harbuckle of Breath.
    14. Re:Oh hell yeah! by TheoMurpse · · Score: 1

      Guys, can we all just take a vote and agree that it's CowboyNeal's mother who gets androided first?

    15. Re:Oh hell yeah! by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      His girlfriend probably reads slashdot and posting "I want one that looks like my girlfriend's sister!" might get him in a little trouble.

      Not as much as "I want one that looks like my girlfriend's brother."

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  2. Finally by Johnny+Fusion · · Score: 4, Funny

    My dreams of a robot girlfriend are one step closer to being actualized

    --
    There are two kinds of fool. One says, This is old, and therefore good. And one says, This is new, and therefore better.
    1. Re:Finally by WrongSizeGlass · · Score: 4, Funny

      My dreams of a robot girlfriend are one step closer to being actualized

      I suppose the important questions for you to ask before welcoming this robot girlfriend into your life will be:
      * Does she run Linux?
      - If not, can you install Linux with or without a 'hack'?
      * What flavor of Linux would be best for a robot girlfriend? (and, no, you can't use 'GirLinux')
      * Will she still be considered 'female' once she's running Linux or will she be reset to a virgin teenage boy?
      * What type of DRM will she have?
      - What will the pirate hack to break her DRM be called?
      * And last, but not least, can she be programmed not to dump you?

    2. Re:Finally by thedonger · · Score: 1

      * What type of DRM will she have?

      Pay the [place favorite licensing org here] a monthly fee or you have to pull out when you cum.

      --
      Help fight poverty: Punch a poor person.
    3. Re:Finally by Baseclass · · Score: 4, Funny

      Imagine a Beowulf Cluster of these.

      --
      ^^vv<><>BA
    4. Re:Finally by couchslug · · Score: 3, Insightful

      That's hardly a Troll.

      Whoever produces the first practical, reasonably lifelike fuckbot is going to be very, very rich. Just because the rest of us don't want one doesn't mean they won't sell in droves.

      After all, the inconvenient part about sex with another person is that it requires another person. A practical fuckbot would get rid of that barrier to entry. :)

      --
      "This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
    5. Re:Finally by AndGodSed · · Score: 1

      So nerds finally have a hope of getting laid?

    6. Re:Finally by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

      I'd also advise being wary of certain Creative Commons licenses - robot or not, you might pick up a nasty bug deposited by someone else in the commons.

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    7. Re:Finally by DrVxD · · Score: 4, Funny

      * Does she run Linux?

      Nope, this is one of those times when you really want Windows instead of Linux.
      After all, which one do you think goes down more often? *rimshot*

      --
      Not everything that can be measured matters; Not everything that matters can be measured.
    8. Re:Finally by Baseclass · · Score: 1

      If you intend on slipping your robotic girlfriend the digital equivalent of a ruffie every now and then, by all means install Windows on her.

      --
      ^^vv<><>BA
    9. Re:Finally by AmberBlackCat · · Score: 2, Funny

      You can install Linux but there's no driver support for the mouth or vagina...

    10. Re:Finally by thenextstevejobs · · Score: 1

      * Will she still be considered 'female' once she's running Linux or will she be reset to a virgin teenage boy?

      Unfortunately, I don't think too many teenagers get into Linux these days. At least less so than in the past, I wager..

      --
      Long live the BSD license
    11. Re:Finally by pandrijeczko · · Score: 1

      As long as the kernel developers focus on the vagina support and not mouth support for the next kernel release, I can wait.

      --
      Gentoo Linux - another day, another USE flag.
    12. Re:Finally by tsotha · · Score: 1

      It'll also probably be the end of the human race.

    13. Re:Finally by CAIMLAS · · Score: 2, Funny

      You laugh at him, but you need to realize something: most of your girlfriends are likely being served up to you via a Linux machine already.

      --
      ~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
    14. Re:Finally by Patik · · Score: 1

      Rimshot, indeed.

    15. Re:Finally by Scowler · · Score: 2, Insightful

      =) Best use of a slashdot meme in a looonnnng while...

    16. Re:Finally by thegrassyknowl · · Score: 1

      And last, but not least, can she be programmed not to dump you?

      Most of the dumping on Linux is of cores, so as long as you're not 'core' you should be fine.

      --
      I drink to make other people interesting!
    17. Re:Finally by Belial6 · · Score: 1

      No, this is just a clever ploy to bring back AmigaOS.

    18. Re:Finally by AVryhof · · Score: 1

      Just hope that when she goes down, it's not the Blue Screen Of Death

    19. Re:Finally by xuketo · · Score: 1

      And then imagine giving a whole new meaning to 'clusterfuck'.

    20. Re:Finally by Miseph · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "* Does she run Linux?

      Nope, Windows XXX.

      - If not, can you install Linux with or without a 'hack'?

      Yes, but installing anything from a floppy is obviously out of the question.

      * What flavor of Linux would be best for a robot girlfriend? (and, no, you can't use 'GirLinux')

      To be honest it doesn't much matter... the speech modules are poorly written no matter which you use, all of the personality packages clearly suffer from Asperger's, and the firmware for *ahem* down below was clearly written by somebody with no earthly idea of what it should be doing. Welcome to Linux.

      * Will she still be considered 'female' once she's running Linux or will she be reset to a virgin teenage boy?

      Gender differentiation is still in alpha... just expect androgyny and you won't be so disappointed.

      * What type of DRM will she have?

      Unauthorized users will be unable to open the legs.

      - What will the pirate hack to break her DRM be called?

      Roofies.

      * And last, but not least, can she be programmed not to dump you?'

      Who cares? She'll have a mute button anyway.

      --
      Try not to take me more seriously than I take myself.
    21. Re:Finally by imhennessy · · Score: 1

      * What flavor of Linux would be best for a robot girlfriend? (and, no, you can't use 'GirLinux')

      I'd go with Debian. Stability ranks pretty highly with me.

      ivan

      --
      Like to brew? Want to talk about it? Brattlebrew: groups.yahoo.com/group/brattlebrew
    22. Re:Finally by witherstaff · · Score: 1

      Just nerds? Tiger woods could have saved himself millions in lost endorsements by having a harem of them. Wonder if that would count as a business write off?

    23. Re:Finally by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 1

      Did the designer leave back door access possible?

      --
      She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
    24. Re:Finally by g4b · · Score: 1

      I imagine a Beowulf on a cluster of these.

    25. Re:Finally by Gandalf_Greyhame · · Score: 1

      problem is they would probably focus on vocal chord support first, as they would deem it more important to get feedback from the robot than a decent user experience

      --
      I am not stubborn. I am right!
    26. Re:Finally by bhamlin · · Score: 1

      I already am...

    27. Re:Finally by nizo · · Score: 1

      Yeah, but what if her mouth clamps shut when she crashes?

    28. Re:Finally by TheoMurpse · · Score: 1

      *shudder*
      They'd be...err...synchronized each month, I'd wager.

    29. Re:Finally by sac13 · · Score: 1

      +10 Funny...

    30. Re:Finally by Nethemas+the+Great · · Score: 1

      It would seem to me that if such hardware were available then the development of drivers would set a new world record for shortest development cycle.

      --
      Two of my imaginary friends reproduced once ... with negative results.
    31. Re:Finally by SpacePunk · · Score: 1

      What? You couldn't work in Natalie Portman and hot grits? It just screams for an android of Natalie Portman pouring hot grits.

    32. Re:Finally by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      Whoever produces the first practical, reasonably lifelike fuckbot is going to be very, very rich.

      I think the first person to produce a totally lifelike fuckbot will be richer.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  3. Dammit Japan. by Tybalt_Capulet · · Score: 4, Informative

    Since it's from Japan, I assume you can have sex with it, and it will be on the market in three months.

    --
    Has the old saint in his forest not yet heard of it? That God is dead?
    1. Re:Dammit Japan. by Jedi+Alec · · Score: 5, Funny

      Better make sure the accelerator won't get stuck though!

      --

      People replying to my sig annoy me. That's why I change it all the time.
    2. Re:Dammit Japan. by Tybalt_Capulet · · Score: 1

      If that were possible, it wouldn't be first law compliant.

      --
      Has the old saint in his forest not yet heard of it? That God is dead?
    3. Re:Dammit Japan. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Does anyone else hate the word "gynoid" as much as me? It's never used in the article... but someone tagged it onto the story - it's so utterly wanky fanboyish it provokes a real loathing in me. It's also a worthless neologism article on wikipedia.

    4. Re:Dammit Japan. by WrongSizeGlass · · Score: 1

      Does anyone else hate the word "gynoid" as much as me?

      Yes ... but mostly because it makes this female robot sound like a guy. That pretty much kills it for me.

    5. Re:Dammit Japan. by gilgongo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It's also a worthless neologism article on wikipedia.

      _What is it_ with people who dislike the documentation of neologisms on Wikipedia? Where else are you going to be able to find out what a word like "gynoid" means (which I'd never heard of before now)?

      If anything, I'd favour the deletion of all non-neologised terms from Wikipedia on the grounds that nobody needs to know what a "table" is or read about Abraham Lincoln because they can always go out and buy a damn book.

      The sheer irony of people calling for articles to be deleted because they are neologisms on the one hand, while praising Wikipedia on the other for being a fountain of contemporary knowledge on the other, is just beyond all understanding.

      --
      "And the meaning of words; when they cease to function; when will it start worrying you?"
    6. Re:Dammit Japan. by Zorque · · Score: 4, Funny

      I wonder how often the developers groped the robot as they were building it.

    7. Re:Dammit Japan. by OldGeek61 · · Score: 3, Informative

      You need to read up on your Asimov, your comment doesn't have anything to do with them: 1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 2. A robot must obey any orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. So it looks like they pass that test!!

    8. Re:Dammit Japan. by AndGodSed · · Score: 2, Informative

      I wonder if a sex addiction with medical side effects that can be attributed to doing your fembot too often will cause them to violate those laws? The humorous solution might be to build in a "headache mod" as a safety mechanism. This is of course taking the conjecture that one step too far...

    9. Re:Dammit Japan. by Verteiron · · Score: 1

      If you pronounce it as JY-noid instead of GY-noid, the word seems to pick up a completely different connotation.

      --
      End of lesson. You may press the button.
    10. Re:Dammit Japan. by pcolaman · · Score: 1

      And it will have tentacles

    11. Re:Dammit Japan. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Quite right... neologisms embiggen wikipedia in the most cromulent way possible. In no way is it just "making shit up".

    12. Re:Dammit Japan. by gyrogeerloose · · Score: 1

      Better make sure the accelerator won't get stuck though!

      Are you kidding?! That would be the best part!

      --
      This ain't rocket surgery.
    13. Re:Dammit Japan. by somersault · · Score: 1

      Hmm.. "Jyna"cologists.. it could catch on..

      --
      which is totally what she said
    14. Re:Dammit Japan. by amRadioHed · · Score: 1

      I don't think think that's a cromulent use of the word cromulent.

      --
      We hope your rules and wisdom choke you / Now we are one in everlasting peace
    15. Re:Dammit Japan. by Golddess · · Score: 1

      A robot may not injure a human being

      Never heard of death by snu-snu I take it? ;)

      --
      "I'm not sure I like the fugnutish tone you used in your post!" -RogL (608926)-
    16. Re:Dammit Japan. by Lemmy+Caution · · Score: 1

      I.e., 'gina-cologists.

    17. Re:Dammit Japan. by commodoresloat · · Score: 1

      Since it's from Japan, I assume multi-tentacled monsters can have sex with it, and it will be on the market in three months.

      FTFY

    18. Re:Dammit Japan. by somersault · · Score: 1

      My thoughts exactly, but that spelling would still leave poor Verteiron with the impression that he's having a party with a little guy's mouth.

      --
      which is totally what she said
    19. Re:Dammit Japan. by dintech · · Score: 1

      They wouldn't be true developers without a little grep every once in a while.

    20. Re:Dammit Japan. by crossmr · · Score: 1, Insightful

      urban dictionary?
      google?
      set up your own site if you think people need to know what the word is?
      It is a big internet. Not everything needs to be on wikipedia. That isn't its purpose.

    21. Re:Dammit Japan. by colinrichardday · · Score: 1

      Do you have the objection to "gynecologist"?

    22. Re:Dammit Japan. by colinrichardday · · Score: 1

      "Android" is just as gendered as "gynoid". would you object to that word?

    23. Re:Dammit Japan. by Scarletdown · · Score: 2, Funny

      Never heard of death by snu-snu I take it? ;)

      Is that anything similar to Death by Boonga Boonga?

      --
      This space unintentionally left blank.
    24. Re:Dammit Japan. by mcgrew · · Score: 1

      I can't see how one can be addicted to sex, food, or any other normal, bodily drive no matter how much you like food or sex. To NOT be "addicted" to sex is abnormal and counter to survival.

      I'm addicted to air.

    25. Re:Dammit Japan. by gilgongo · · Score: 1

      It is a big internet. Not everything needs to be on wikipedia. That isn't its purpose.

      So what is its purpose then, exactly? And who are you to decide what kind of information it should have? Wikipedia's format is very good for documenting neologisms. Why should people be made to use a different site just because some people have a notion of what is "wrong" and what is "right" in the semantics of certain words we use? Come to that, as there is no clear definition of "neologism" (coined less than 10 years ago? 100 years ago?) you may well do more harm than good in excluding them.

      Internet is a proper noun by the way and spelt with a capital eye. Show it the respect you owe it.

      --
      "And the meaning of words; when they cease to function; when will it start worrying you?"
    26. Re:Dammit Japan. by colinrichardday · · Score: 1

      "Andro" is not the same as "anthropo".

    27. Re:Dammit Japan. by crossmr · · Score: 1

      I didn't decide. The community decided, and if you don't even know the answer to that question you haven't a clue what wikipedia is and you really shouldn't be making such claims about it. The wiki format is good for documenting neologisms. This format is not exclusive to wikipedia and there are many sites that exist for the sole purpose of creating niche wikis which you can have total and complete control over if you so wish.

      Assuming you're not just some random troll, which if you're not, you're doing a poor job of looking like anything else, you might do well to read:
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:What_Wikipedia_is_not
      The See Also section and template at the bottom contains all kinds of texts on what is appropriate for wikipedia and what isn't appropriate.

      Specifically on Neologisms:
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Avoid_neologisms#Articles_on_neologisms

      The threshold for inclusions is similar to other topics. A demonstration needs to be made using reliable sources that the neologism is a notable term in use.

      The great thing about wikipedia is if you don't like it you're free to fork it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Mirrors_and_forks

    28. Re:Dammit Japan. by colinrichardday · · Score: 1

      I don't really care how many people believe that "andro" is gender neutral. It isn't. "Anthropo" is gender neutraL

    29. Re:Dammit Japan. by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      Since it's from Japan, I assume you can have sex with it

      I think that's a pretty bold generalisation.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    30. Re:Dammit Japan. by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      I can't see how one can be addicted to sex, food, or any other normal, bodily drive no matter how much you like food or sex.

      If all you do is think about food, eat food and panic or get depressed when you're not eating, that has gone beyond normal healthy behaviour. Same with sex.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  4. uncanny valley by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    we are still in it, it won't go away till we just can't tell at all, anything that looks slightly wrong will spark something in your brain to tell you all is not what it seems.

    1. Re:uncanny valley by Venerable+Vegetable · · Score: 2, Insightful

      We're not even at the bottom of the valley yet. That thing is clearly a robot, nothing uncanny about it. Most importantly it needs a better mouth and small natural body movements.

    2. Re:uncanny valley by thepike · · Score: 1

      I agree with your comment about the mouth, but not with "nothing uncanny about it." It creeps me out a fair amount. I don't understand why we can't just have robots that look like robots and people that look like people. R2-D2 wasn't humanoid, wasn't creepy, and was still completely trustworthy.

    3. Re:uncanny valley by somersault · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Sounds like my first gf's vague moustache

      --
      which is totally what she said
    4. Re:uncanny valley by NFN_NLN · · Score: 1

      I agree with your comment about the mouth, but not with "nothing uncanny about it." It creeps me out a fair amount. I don't understand why we can't just have robots that look like robots and people that look like people. R2-D2 wasn't humanoid, wasn't creepy, and was still completely trustworthy.

      When R2D2 can blow me then I'll trust... hmmm wait. Maybe that's what made R2D2 trustworthy, that he didn't go around blowing everyone. Would have made a hell of a movie though.

    5. Re:uncanny valley by bigstrat2003 · · Score: 1

      Honestly, I never see anything creepy about what people call the "uncanny valley". It just looks not-quite-real, there isn't some magical point of "oooh, that's so weird".

      --
      "16MB (fuck off, MiB fascists)" - The Mighty Buzzard
    6. Re:uncanny valley by Valdrax · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It's not so much an feeling of "ooh, that's so weird" as going from the point where you're impressed at how well-made and interesting looking it is to being unimpressed at the remaining flaws.

      In this case, it has a well-made face, but the fact that it doesn't move much except in starts and sputters makes it look palsied. It's not exceptionally creepy. It's just mildly unpleasant to look at in ways that something totally unrealistic like C3PO isn't.

      --
      If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
  5. Wow by binarylarry · · Score: 2, Funny

    Google is taking this new technology to amazing heights!

    --
    Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
    1. Re:Wow by TeknoHog · · Score: 1

      Google is taking this new technology to amazing heights!

      Actually, Google should probably sue them for making an "Android". After all, they did threaten the Finnish robotics company Zendroid on the same basis.

      --
      Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
  6. Anyone else getting turned on by this sentence? by gad_zuki! · · Score: 1

    "With Geminoid F, the researchers embedded air servo valves and an air servo control system into its body, so the android requires only a small external compressor."

    Oh yeah... I just wanna touch that small external compressor of yours. I also like your top, it really shows off your air servo valves... kind cold in here isn't it?

  7. Just don't make it speak by greymond · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm down with my real doll android, aka Cherry 2000, being able to go get me a beer and thrust back, but as soon as she starts yappin at me, it's back to the whores.

    1. Re:Just don't make it speak by misexistentialist · · Score: 1

      But the whores don't love you like Cherry does.

    2. Re:Just don't make it speak by Locke2005 · · Score: 1

      As long as it works like a real human being, in that it can't talk with something in it's mouth, I'm good.

      --
      I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
  8. George Lucas did it first by erroneus · · Score: 1

    ... not to mention better. These things remind me of why the first terminators failed in their tasks as infiltrators. They just looked like machines with rubber skin over them. This just makes them all the more creepy.

    1. Re:George Lucas did it first by moteyalpha · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Skin is an organ and can be grown or transplanted on a suitable substrate. Already in the works.. So I am guessing that it is just a hop skip and jump to a real cyborg. It would probably be cheaper too and self repairing.
      Cherry 2010 and if it follows Moore's law they will be posting on slashdot by Cherry 2020.
      I would guess that this would be a life extension method at its completion, which allows space for the brain and spinal cord along with an interface. I think that is another of those uncanny valleys.
      Though it does seem more like a science fiction movie such as reanimator.

  9. Hmmz by santax · · Score: 1

    Makes me wonder if they can also provide a fleshlight-module. Bet you thought about that one too, didn't you AC? :P

    1. Re:Hmmz by kimvette · · Score: 1

      They accidentally the whole thing!

      --
      The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
  10. Re:Copy of "himself"? by santax · · Score: 3, Informative

    You lazy bastard :P http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WijMCSfX0RA ;) happy eastern!

  11. Have you guessed the name of Billy's planet? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    IT WAS EARTH! Don't date robots!!!

  12. Does it... by oldhack · · Score: 5, Funny

    Does the android come with the tentacle monster? Or is it sold separately?

    --
    Fuck systemd. Fuck Redhat. Fuck Soylent, too. Wait, scratch the last one.
  13. Re:the question is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    ...is she anatomically correct ??

    You're posting on slashdot. Don't bother pretending you could tell the difference.

  14. Obligatory by lyinhart · · Score: 4, Funny

    So... how much longer till they produce one that passes the Voight-Kampff test?

    --
    Freedom is drinking a beer in the park when you're supposed to be at work.
    1. Re:Obligatory by nuckfuts · · Score: 1

      Who cares? Rachel failed it, and I still woulda dun her!

    2. Re:Obligatory by houghi · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Please no. Who wants a female robot that can fake a headache?

      --
      Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
    3. Re:Obligatory by TheLlidD · · Score: 1

      The Voight-Kampff test or anything of its likeness will someday be nessasary, My only wonderment of it is "Why will we need to test for the Robots?" Really, to me it isn't interesting or important to discuss sex with a Robot. This is a great Comment - asking about "Linux" Really? The short of it is of course it could run linux! But would you need to? Maybe the bot could do it better his/or herself I think such projects as BOTS and Bio-mimicry Robots are Brillant efforts. That should be agreed to easily enough. How long before such bots are asked to sit as consultants in board meetings for companies such as "Rosen corporation' (the robot manufacturer depicted in Philip K. Dicks Do androids dream of electric sheep?) My original comment was to an effect of commentary on an experience of interaction with the personallity of such a bot. How entertaining and interactive are they, and how can we maximize the interactive practicality? I have spent an hour or two chatting online with bots derived from ALICE. And those bots are dated to the early millenium. Wouldn't It be curious to interact with your own bot? A bot that could suggest a course of action derived from your own past experience? Who wouldn't want a buddy that can calculate Pi to the millionth digit. Woot /. My First comment as a member, my first comment to an online forum ever!!

    4. Re:Obligatory by arth1 · · Score: 1

      Not fake, but believe that they have a headache.

      Tyrell's niece has a lot to answer for.

    5. Re:Obligatory by pedestrian+crossing · · Score: 1

      Woot /. My First comment as a member, my first comment to an online forum ever!!

      Great, welcome!

      Now switch to Plain Old Text before you submit or learn to use <p></p> tags if you are going to post HTML (hint: the Preview button is your friend...).

      --
      A house divided against itself cannot stand.
  15. Re:the question is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Just check out the uncanny valley on that one!

  16. Obligatory Chobits reference... by MsGeek · · Score: 1

    Goddess, this has been up for minutes and nobody's made the obvious comment...Chii!!!!

    And if you don't get the ref...
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEvyHXNhHAc

    --
    Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied.
    1. Re:Obligatory Chobits reference... by lennier1 · · Score: 1

      I was thinking more along the lines of the jokes in the "pantsu" episode.

    2. Re:Obligatory Chobits reference... by Artemis3 · · Score: 1

      They make too big a fuzz of it in the Anime, in the Manga after Chii gets him the briefs, Hideki just goes in the store and buys the panty, despite the embarrassing.

      --
      Artix
      Your Linux, your init.
  17. I think it's more shallow in some respects by Artifex · · Score: 1

    Watching the video clip, I felt she could pass until she opened her mouth.
    Simple solution to that, then; don't let her talk :)

    --
    Get off my launchpad!
    1. Re:I think it's more shallow in some respects by arndawg · · Score: 1

      But she/it would still need to open her/its mouth, so we're still having the same problem.

  18. Okay but what we all want to know is... by bikehorn · · Score: 1

    Does she run Android 2.1? Is there a contract involved?

    1. Re:Okay but what we all want to know is... by lennier1 · · Score: 1

      Good luck getting root access on that one.

  19. Obvious by Brett+Buck · · Score: 1

    As always, Robot Chicken cuts to the chase

          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O_rXZ381vo

  20. i'm going to disney world by trb · · Score: 1

    Welcome to the Hall of Presidents.

  21. No. by mark-t · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Has the Japanese android master finally overcome the uncanny valley?

    No.

    1. Re:No. by nurb432 · · Score: 1

      True, but the gap is getting smaller.

      --
      ---- Booth was a patriot ----
    2. Re:No. by pushing-robot · · Score: 2, Insightful

      IMHO "uncanny valley" just means "robotics engineers don't understand people". Whether we feel comfortable interacting with something has little to do with whether it visually approximates Homo Sapiens: Humans relate to other species all the time. Animated movies and TV shows are full of characters that don't resemble humans at all. A long scene in the movie A.I. of an android grotesquerie that should epitomize the "uncanny valley" elicits sympathy, not fear. Why are these characters so easy to relate to? We empathize with them.

      A fundamental ability of the brain is to relate to the minds of others. We call it "Theory of Mind", "empathy", or even "anthropomorphizing", though it's not a trait limited to humans. Social animals use it to maintain relationships. Predators and prey learn to predict each others' actions. On some level, our brain takes everything it percieves and tries to create a model to map its behavior to our own. The easier a thing's behavior is to understand, the more comfortable we feel. The harder a thing's behavior is to understand and predict, the more uneasy we become. Animators, storytellers, playwrights, and cartoonists learned long ago that the best way to make an audience comfortable with a character is not to create a convincing human but to create convincingly human mannerisms. They focus on the things humans look at in other humans: The shape of a mouth, the position of an eyebrow, a squint, the speed of a movement, the direction a gaze, a particular choice of words, an instinctive reaction; in other words, all the little things we subconsciously do to tell other humans what we are thinking. By replicating (and exaggerating) the mannerisms and behaviors of a human, you can portray a convincingly "human" character with a trash compactor and a pair of binoculars.

      Unfortunately, the field of robotics hasn't caught up. Humans don't relate to today's androids, because they just don't have mannerisms we can relate to. Current "androids" are at best vaguely aware of the world, and uncoordinated in their interaction with it. If they are able to interact with humans at all they do so in a very limited manner, responding with incoherent, irrelevant, or parroted information, and their attempts at "emotion" or "human behavior" are artificial and hollow. We're unable to subconsciously translate their behaviors into our equivalents, as they are generated by algorithms that are structured very differently from our brains. Being with an android is more like being with an individual suffering some form of profound dementia.

      Of course, there's no easy way to make robots interact fluently with us. Our abilities are too limited at the moment; we probably won't have "comfortable" androids until AI has taken a few huge leaps ahead. But all the uncanny valley really comes down to is that you can't simply make a robot that looks human without the mannerisms to go with it. In fact, the more organic a machine appears the harder it becomes to think of it as just a piece of equipment, so natural behavior becomes all the more critical.

      --
      How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
    3. Re:No. by g253 · · Score: 1

      I'd say almost. Still uncanny, but now hardly more than some real people who pump their faces full of botox.

    4. Re:No. by c0d3g33k · · Score: 1

      A long scene in the movie A.I. of an android grotesquerie that should epitomize the "uncanny valley" elicits sympathy, not fear. Why are these characters so easy to relate to? We empathize with them

      That is because they are human actors *acting* as androids. Because they are good actors, they evoke sympathy, as they were asked to do, since the scene required it. Even under layers of makeup or prothetics (or even totally digitized as in Avatar) the humanity comes through. I'm not sure actual androids or completely synthetic digital creations could evoke the same response.

    5. Re:No. by IorDMUX · · Score: 1

      True, but the gap is getting smaller.

      True...

      But in Uncanny Valley terms, this also corresponds with deeper.

      --
      >> Standing on head makes smile of frown, but rest of face also upside down.
    6. Re:No. by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 1

      To me-- it wasn't creepy.

      Consider pictures of "real dolls" they look a bit creepy.

      This looked like a real person at many angles. I think you would get used to this one in a few days and start interacting with it comfortably.

      at a fast food place, a bank, etc.

      It's VERY close to a surrogate. The "japanese" robot could be an indian or chinese (or old or unattractive person) working from somewhere else.

      --
      She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
    7. Re:No. by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 1

      The android looks a lot more human than "cat lady".

      We have one person where i work who looks a bit uncanny- most likely as a result of plastic surgery long ago and now she is older and the illusion is failing.

      --
      She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
    8. Re:No. by Sparkycat · · Score: 1

      I'm starting to suspect that the Uncanny Valley gets weaker as you enter the Aspergers/Autism spectrum: such people tend to have more difficulty recognizing human facial cues, so dysfunctional facial cues in robots are less disturbing to them. Thus, you get crowds of Aspergers folks admiring a robot, entirely obvious to its poor human mimicry.

  22. Well... by The+Redster! · · Score: 1

    She's not less perfect than Lore!

  23. Re:the question is... by WrongSizeGlass · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...is she anatomically correct ??

    It doesn't really matter ... someone will find a way to screw it even if it's sealed tighter than an iPad.

  24. Are you kidding? by barfy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is exactly the valley. It looks like a robot. The valley is huge, and it won't be solved by 12 actuators. Unless you're mostly blind.

    1. Re:Are you kidding? by YourExperiment · · Score: 1

      Exactly. Most robots don't even come close to reaching the uncanny valley. This one does, which is an achievement in itself. We won't reach the other side of the valley until a robot is indistinguishable from a human.

    2. Re:Are you kidding? by Angst+Badger · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Seriously. The engineer is plainly making progress over his previous attempts, but he's got a long way to go. Humans are very good at reading subtle cues in other humans, like being able to tell when a friend is distracted by some unexpressed concern. That's what an android engineer is up against. This latest effort is immediately recognizable as a non-human when in motion, and something seems distinctly off about it in still pictures. And considering that even computer-rendered humans in movies -- which is arguably an easier problem -- are still less than 100% convincing in closeups, I'm not holding my breath for convincing androids any time soon.

      --
      Proud member of the Weirdo-American community.
    3. Re:Are you kidding? by AmberBlackCat · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I have found there are guys who prefer you to be a little machine-like. Maybe feelings and emotions bother them. Maybe they'll prefer this over a really realistic model.

    4. Re:Are you kidding? by glwtta · · Score: 1, Insightful

      This is exactly the valley. It looks like a robot.

      The thing is, it's not even in the valley, it's nowhere near the valley. You look at it and think "Huh, it's a crappy animatronics doll", not "Hmm, that chick seems weird".

      --
      sic transit gloria mundi
    5. Re:Are you kidding? by CAIMLAS · · Score: 1

      It's not so much the expressions themselves which fall flat - it's the valleys between the expressions.

      The human face is very, very rarely "expressionless", even on the most stoic of people. Even when someone is asleep, they're emoting. There are little ticks and gestures all the time. The face would need to be in constant realistic motion to be convincing, I think.

      The way technology is moving, I think it's more realistic to expect holo-mesh projections than it is to expect mechanical android faces. Synthetic muscle, maybe, if you need to touch it. But mechanics aren't likely suited for it.

      --
      ~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
    6. Re:Are you kidding? by savuporo · · Score: 1

      I'm not holding my breath for convincing androids any time soon. Did you consider the rate of advances as these things have happened ? Its only accelerating.

      --
      http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slashdot.org Errors found while checking this document as HTML5!
    7. Re:Are you kidding? by BlackSnake112 · · Score: 1

      Humans are very good at reading subtle cues in other humans

      Crap! I am a robot! That explains a lot of things.

  25. Yes, but by hallucinogen · · Score: 1

    does she run Linux?

    1. Re:Yes, but by hallucinogen · · Score: 1

      Well actually whatever OS it runs, it's in many ways like a real girl. If it runs Windows you'll end up getting viruses. If it runs something Apple you'll pay for updates (or monthly fees). If it runs Linux you'll have to spend an insane amount of time with it to make it right.

    2. Re:Yes, but by Plekto · · Score: 4, Funny

      If it runs Windows you'll end up getting viruses. If it runs something Apple you'll pay for updates (or monthly fees). If it runs Linux you'll have to spend an insane amount of time with it to make it right.

      At least with this you get to choose which of the three you want to deal with, whereas with a real life relationship, well, you might get all three at once.

    3. Re:Yes, but by Toze · · Score: 1

      Hooker, girlfriend, and wife, respectively.

      --
      No OS on the planet can protect itself from a user with the admin password. - Yvan256
    4. Re:Yes, but by TheoMurpse · · Score: 1

      Well, with Linux you'd have to share it with everyone else, too.

  26. Ugly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    That thing looks worse than a mannequin...

  27. When does it hit the Marketplace? by Captain+Spam · · Score: 2, Funny

    I know a few co-workers who'll probably all be Apple apologists about this next time I see them and promise the iPhone copy of a young woman will come soon, but I gotta say, I knew the open nature of the platform would make it possible on Android first, meaning my trusty Nexus One can...

    Oh, wait, that's not what you... oh, I see. *sigh*

    --
    Demanding constant attention will only lead to attention.
  28. Obligatory by AliasMarlowe · · Score: 1

    ... who had previously built a robot copy of himself, has now created a new android and it's a 'she.'

    It's only a matter of time http://xkcd.com/600/

    --
    Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
  29. Why do we want human-looking robots now? by RightwingNutjob · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Having had my ear to the ground in robotics for the last few years, it seems to me that this is a wasted effort. Much more fundamental problems in robot-human interaction, basic things like being able to track a moving object in the room, or walking on two legs without having each movement preprogrammed, have yet to be solved reliably. Even if she looked perfect, the fact that she'd trip and fall over any unexpected bump in the floor and won't have the software to make eye contact or shake your hand will make the valley very very deep.

    1. Re:Why do we want human-looking robots now? by AliasMarlowe · · Score: 1

      Even if she looked perfect, the fact that she'd trip and fall over any unexpected bump in the floor ... will make the valley very very deep.

      Hmmm. Sounds like you know which way around she'll land after that fall!

      --
      Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
    2. Re:Why do we want human-looking robots now? by Stray7Xi · · Score: 1

      Having had my ear to the ground in robotics for the last few years, it seems to me that this is a wasted effort. Much more fundamental problems in robot-human interaction, basic things like being able to track a moving object in the room, or walking on two legs without having each movement preprogrammed, have yet to be solved reliably.

      But those problems are being worked on as well by many teams and by some that are very well funded. Research should be diverse because it's hard to predict what kind of breakthroughs may come out of it.

      That said the problems you bring up are mostly research problems while this is mostly an engineering problem. As far as geeky engineering pursuits, I think this is a lot more productive then building life-size models of gundams. Not that I'd condemn that either.

    3. Re:Why do we want human-looking robots now? by MotorMachineMercenar · · Score: 1

      Make eye contact? Shake my hand? Leave it to slashbots to entirely miss the point of creating a sexy fembot.

      --
      "We have an A-Bomb...what more do you want, mermaids?" --I.I. Rabi, speaking in defense of Robert Oppenheimer
    4. Re:Why do we want human-looking robots now? by internic · · Score: 1

      I saw a documentary once that featured this guy, I think. In it I remember he said one of his motivations was telepresence, so that you could use it as a sort of real-life avatar to, say, interact with relatively who live in a distant place. I assume this is motivated by the growing proportion of elderly in Japan. I'm not saying it's a good idea, but the point is that for that purpose it may not be so vital if it can't perform many practical tasks or get up and go well.

      --
      "You call it a new way of thinking; I call it regression to ignorance!" -- Operation Ivy
  30. He needs to work on the skin texture by petsounds · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The eyes seem better than his last effort, but the mouth area is really where it falls short. There isn't enough subtlety in mimicking muscle movements around the lip area, and the mouth opening and closing is a real giveaway. Although the jaw hinge seems a bit off, I think what's really going on is the lack of skin movement during articulation. The "skin" not visibly stretching creates a plastic, robotic appearance. Still, it's interesting work. I don't agree that we should be making robots that look like people though. It seems like a conscious attempt at anthropomorphism, and even if the physical appearance eventually becomes flawless, there will always be an uncanny valley in the way the robot fails to act with human subtlety.

    1. Re:He needs to work on the skin texture by Anonymous+Cowar · · Score: 3, Funny

      I think what's really going on is the lack of skin movement during articulation. The "skin" not visibly stretching creates a plastic, robotic appearance.

      Like Joan Rivers and other botox junkies?

    2. Re:He needs to work on the skin texture by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 1

      The eyes seem better than his last effort, but the mouth area is really where it falls short. There isn't enough subtlety in mimicking muscle movements around the lip area, and the mouth opening and closing is a real giveaway

      It's supposed to be the perfect woman: It doesn't speak.

      --
      If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
  31. Oh dear... by lattyware · · Score: 1

    Anyone else look at this and think there was some kind of e-girl for their android phone?

    --
    -- Lattyware (www.lattyware.co.uk)
  32. Austin Powers warned us by stovicek · · Score: 1

    The dawn of the Fembots is at hand.

  33. When you order one... by dohboy · · Score: 1

    Make sure to specify the three orifice model.

  34. Re:Congratulations, Mr. Ishiguro by couchslug · · Score: 1

    That would conflict with your nic.

    --
    "This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
  35. ANDROID COPY by AndGodSed · · Score: 1

    Wow, it just hit me that everytime I hear or read "android" I automatically think it refers to the google operating system. For a few moments the headline caused a brainspasm as I tried to figure out how that was possible.

    Now I wonder what the implications would be if google started claiming copyright on the word android...

  36. But... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ...can she FOLD TOWELS?

  37. Japanese fembot.. by Paracelcus · · Score: 2, Funny

    Can you get electrocuted during bukakke?

    --
    I killed da wabbit -Elmer Fudd
  38. Can it walk? by nurb432 · · Score: 1

    If so, some scary stuff is near. It wont need much processing on board if you can incorporate the compressor and then wireless.

    --
    ---- Booth was a patriot ----
  39. Re:The uncanny valley is getting deeper by PopeRatzo · · Score: 2, Funny

    Seeing the gynoid smile made me think of a retarded person

    That's hot.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  40. He needs to work on the FUR texture by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

    Still, it's interesting work.

    When they start offering them with a big bunny's head and furry paws, then you know it's the end times.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  41. If we can't get CGI characters to act human... by cutecub · · Score: 4, Interesting
    ...then we sure as hell aren't going to be able to get robotic characters to act human.

    CGI animators, in some sense, have a much easier task then the roboticist. Its much easier to program a full musculature into an animated character than to physically build a robotic one.

    The difficulty of all this is exemplified by Robert Zemeckis' dismal "Polar Express" and "A Christmas Carol". Even when capturing hundreds of control points on the faces of the actors, you're still left teetering on the edge of the Uncanny Valley.

    "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "Avatar" were more successful because they did complete surface capture of the actors faces rather than point-capture.

    Which gets back to the difficulty of making robots appear human. Its the same problem, magnified 1000 times by the fact that, in essence, you have to pack the equivalent of a millions of "control-points" into the robots face.

    Not an easy task.

    -Sean

    1. Re:If we can't get CGI characters to act human... by radtea · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Which gets back to the difficulty of making robots appear human. Its the same problem, magnified 1000 times by the fact that, in essence, you have to pack the equivalent of a millions of "control-points" into the robots face.

      You're thinking about this like a software guy, not a hardware guy. The human face doesn't have that many control points. It has a relatively small set of muscles and a bunch of connective tissue with known (albeit nonlinear) properties.

      The problem is that much of what humans do with facial expression is "non-functional" in the sense that it doesn't involve any practical intent or communication. We blink, we chew our lips, we move our muscles simply because stillness is fatiguing. I'm betting that with a relatively small amount of attention to such "non-functional" movements we'll see adequately canny robot faces in fairly short order, particularly given the huge range of perfectly acceptable facial behaviour that humans actually have.

      I get the sense that no one complaining here has ever dealt with a person whose face is partially paralyzed, or burned, or what-have-you. Anyone who has knows that you get past those aspects very quickly, and simply start seeing the person. But I'm sure the same people complaining here will still be complaining about the uncanny aspect of robot faces long after a wealth of empirical data has shown that the average person can't tell the difference without already knowing the object they are dealing with is a robot.

      --
      Blasphemy is a human right. Blasphemophobia kills.
  42. Chucky Cheese by poly_pusher · · Score: 2, Funny

    WOW! The robot band at Chucky Cheese is going to be so psyched!

  43. hmm by mapkinase · · Score: 2, Insightful

    "exhibits facial expressions more naturally "

    What facial expressions? All I saw in the video were mouth movement up and down and eyes moved.

    The texture of the skin is amazingly natural as well as posture, but "facial expressions"?

    --
    I do not believe in karma. "Funny"=-6. Do good and forbid evil. Yours, Oft-Offtopic Flamebaiting Troll.
  44. The valley is person dependent by aepervius · · Score: 1

    I have only seen the screenshot but to me the "static" one is definitively beyond the valley and "human". Now , how it looks like in film is the next question.

    --
    C. Sagan : A demon haunted world:
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345409469/
    visit randi.org
  45. What about things "installed" or "uploaded" ? by BurningTyger · · Score: 1

    More importantly, what does the EULA says?
    Will anything that's "installed" or "uploaded" inside the robot automatically become the properly of the Robotic Company like what Facebook does to its users?

  46. Re:the question is... by somersault · · Score: 2, Funny

    Inconceivable! Nothing could be a tighter fuck than my iPad!

    --
    which is totally what she said
  47. How long until by kimvette · · Score: 1

    How long until realdoll licenses this for all the 40-year-old comic book guy-type guys living in their mothers' basements?

    --
    The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
  48. No seriously, by blakedev · · Score: 1

    Does it have a vagina?

    --
    QamuIs Heg qaq law' lorvIs yInqaq puS
  49. The cost is terrifying. by Oxford_Comma_Lover · · Score: 1

    Think about it. They're talking about having it on the market for $110K. How much harder do you think it would be to make it replace an employee?

    We've already had the first waves of computers replacing people in employment--computers replacing typists, and people with slide rules, and toll collectors, and more recently check-out people at supermarkets. Computers and Robots are just going to get more capable.

    --
    -- IANAL, this isn't legal advice, and definitely isn't legal advice for you. Also, Squee!
    1. Re:The cost is terrifying. by Oxford_Comma_Lover · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yes, but it may make it easier to replace people at tasks where you don't need human-level sentience, like fast food. Just because we're safe for a little while in highly educated professions doesn't mean this can't profoundly change the world.

      > Making a robot look and outwardly act like a human is a long way off from making one with human level sentience.

      --
      -- IANAL, this isn't legal advice, and definitely isn't legal advice for you. Also, Squee!
    2. Re:The cost is terrifying. by BobisOnlyBob · · Score: 1

      You'll still be arrested, but for Vandalism/Destruction of Property, not Assault.

      Also, you'll probably break your fist in the process. Robots are made of metal!

    3. Re:The cost is terrifying. by BlackSnake112 · · Score: 1

      So this one is remote controlled. You remote control it. You stay at home while the robot goes to work. Better yet, leave the robot at work. You wake up. Turn on the remote and you can start working.

  50. The real question is... by Ralph+Spoilsport · · Score: 3, Funny
    NOT does she have a vagina. Those are easy to build - just look at realdoll.com.

    NOT that you can fuck it - again - see the real doll site for perfectly fuckable pieces of plastic.

    The REAL question is: Does she swallow? That takes sensitivity, judgment, timing, and a willingness to hoover baby batter.

    --
    Shoes for Industry. Shoes for the Dead.
  51. Obligatory Futurama Reference by Yvan256 · · Score: 2, Funny

    DON'T DATE ROBOTS!.

                                                                                           

  52. Pygmalion by Valen0 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I certainly hope this story doesn't turn into a modern day retelling of Pygmalion .

    --
    -Valen
  53. Re:the question is... by somersault · · Score: 1

    *whoosh*

    --
    which is totally what she said
  54. I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that. by tr2sa · · Score: 1

    DOL: "I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that." Dave: "Why not, DOL? What's the problem?"

  55. You First Post on /. ... by WED+Fan · · Score: 1

    Wait, I spot a flaw.

    I want one that looks like my girlfriend!

    You get the first post on a /. article and its about your "girlfriend". You, sir, are an obvious liar!!! LIAR!!!!

    --
    Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong fix.
  56. Re:the question is... by bertoelcon · · Score: 1

    Yes but he is on the internet so we can expect he has seen some porn.

    --
    Anything can be found funny, from a certain point of view.
  57. Obligatory Robot Chicken by OrwellianLurker · · Score: 1

    Obligatory Robot Chicken: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O_rXZ381vo (low quality)

    --
    'Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.' - Mao Tse-tung
  58. Blade Runner by spaceyhackerlady · · Score: 1

    FWIW, the first time I heard "gynoid" was in a review of Blade Runner, so this isn't that new a neologism.

    I've also read stuff about how too-realistic computer-generated images of people weird people out, which is why Pixar et al could make their animated features look a lot more realistic, but don't. The subject of this article is firmly in weird-out territory.

    ...laura

  59. Shell-ish by ossuary · · Score: 1

    The Major is just around the corner.

  60. Remember the warning from Futurama by Stephenmg · · Score: 1
  61. Viruses by colinrichardday · · Score: 1

    Yeah, but think of the viruses!

  62. Early production picture by noidentity · · Score: 1

    I came across an early production picture, apparently with the compressed air hose connected.

  63. Hm... by Greyor · · Score: 1

    He should have named her Rei Toei.

  64. They have been doing it wrong all along... by DiEx-15 · · Score: 1

    Soooo... let me get this strait - Instead of taking us over by force (like the Cybermen) or taking over our computer systems (like in Rise Of The Machines), they are going to boink us into submission?

    Yeah, that will work perfectly...

  65. what's the point? by empraptor · · Score: 1

    Big whoop. People have been making much better products for ages. Don't need huge grants. Add bodily fluids and bake for 9 months. Might as well subsidize baby making with that research money. Probably will get more units out of money spent. What is the point of trying to make something as close to human as possible? Shouldn't they be trying to make something that does things humans can't do?

    1. Re:what's the point? by vlm · · Score: 1

      Big whoop. People have been making much better products for ages. Don't need huge grants. Add bodily fluids and bake for 9 months.

      You're forgetting the 14 to 18 year delay after the 9 months before being legal for most slashdotters purposes.

      What is the point of trying to make something as close to human as possible?

      Well, aside from pr0n type activities, the first thing that came to mind was womens clothing mannequins. I remember in the 80s or so there was a very strange theme in mannequins of sort of silvery styrofoam abstract art old-school cylon-ish. But now a days the mannequins I see at the mall are mostly tan/brown paint headless or faceless young women, which is also bit weird, sort of a multicultural texas chainsaw massacre theme.

      I'm imagining, instead of trying to sell "urban-ware" to rich white suburban kids on unmoving old fashioned mannequins, they'll have these real-doll type things wearing the clothes and doing hip-hop dance moves in time with the store's music system.

      Or put them in a cage at a bar and have them dance, as long as the electricity holds out.

      Shouldn't they be trying to make something that does things humans can't do?

      Been there, done that. Check out a modern (Japanese) car factory. The "science" so to speak is long done, although engineering work remains to make them cheaper.

      --
      "Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
  66. Always wanted a Cherry 2000 by Phoenixhawk · · Score: 1

    But the real question is....Will it run Crysis???

  67. The word gynoid is just wrong by MarkAurelius · · Score: 1

    The greek word for woman is gyne () but the stem for making new words is gyneco- (the plural of gyne is gynaikes ) the one use in gynecologist. So a female robot should be called a gynecoid.

  68. Kokoro Co. by jaminJay · · Score: 1

    I wonder if they're Astro Boy fans?

    --
    Leela: "Is all the work done by children?" Alien: "No, not the whipping."
  69. Re:the question is... by BlackSnake112 · · Score: 1

    Sexbot brought to you by SONY.

    SONY has a rep of it's products screwing over their customers.

    SONY Sexbot outsells all others.

    You are giving SONY ideas.