WEB + INFO > Valerie, a Domestic Android

[tmc_6882]

http://www.androidworld.com/prod19.htm

We are pleased to announce the commencement of our own domestic android project. This android will look like a woman. Why? Because a woman is less threatening than a full-sized adult male.

Sadly, our project is progessing more slowly than we had hoped. Why? Because we are discovering that every part requires several iterations and we have to build most of our own parts. Its really hard to go into a hardware store and find android parts on the shelf.

Below is the head with the eyes mounted in it. It also has the teeth mounted in the jaws and the lower jaw hinged to the upper jaw. We have the molds for the face and head completed.

[see site for images]

Specifications:
Height: 5'10" in shoes.
Weight: Perhaps 150 pounds ???
Degrees of freedom: about 111
Ears:
Made from Silicone
Cost: $50
Available now.


Capabilities:

What Valerie CAN and CANNOT do. <== (* NEW *)
Speech - multi-language synthesizer
We are negotiating with ATT labs to use their
text to speech synthesizer for Valerie's voice.
You heard a sample of her voice when you loaded
this page. Would you like to try it yourself?
Binaural hearing

SMELL - new chip from CYRANO Sciences, Inc.
Other articles on "smelling"
Scientific American article
Electronic noses
See also "Science News", vol. 157, no. 8, Feb. 19, 2000, pages 125-127.
TASTE
Kyushu Univ in Japan has developed a taste sensor.
Another project in Malaysia
Another article
Short list (4) of references.
GPS option for $600

Color binocular vision:
We will use the PC-53-XP
Cost: $150 each from Supercircuits (800-335-9777)

High degree of intelligence
Learning methods:
Rote memory
Monkey see - monkey do (visual imitation)
Logical inference
Fuzzy logic
Neural networks
See: "Neural Networks and Fuzzy Systems" by Bart Kosko

Muscle mechanisms: See Muscle Options Compared
Pneumatics - medium muscles
Hydraulics - strong muscles
Steppers - small fast muscles
Servos - small slow muscles

First appearance:
Date: ??? unknown ???
Current Status
Estimated retail cost: $25,000.

Current staff: 4

Contact:
Chris Willis
Android World, President
3311 Santa Monica Dr.
Denton, TX., 76205, USA
phone: (US) 940-382-7363

General Information: crwillis@androidworld.com

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[BethBot0101]

Get back to me when someone bothers to do more research into transferring the mind into binary form.

[Miss Silver Karakuri]

Its interesting the audio says 'I can do most housework and give you more free time' if she ever gets pulled off (and I have checked back to see how things have progressed over the last while) I do not think shed be simply used for housework... epsecially if one of us got a Valerie for ourselves. Though it might be a while before she becomes finished, he hasn't updated the site for a little while.