Closest yet to an autonomous robot!!!

code_author · Post by **code_author** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 12:06 pm

http://today.reuters.com/tv/videoChanne ... 9bc0fdf0de

saw this on Reuters today then again on yahoo, Seems not to have the external hardware the other recent attempts have had, plus it can dance and has voice recognition.

Code

Stephaniebot · Post by **Stephaniebot** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 12:31 pm

Very impressive, thanks for posting

andoroido · Post by **andoroido** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 12:32 pm

That is a model worthy of a P.O.S. rating.
P=Piece
O=Of
S=check below

I saw this before and thought it was maybe some high school
robot club project, definitely worthy of a solid A and maybe a page 4 in the state newspaper.

But this looks like some major project.
It can only move by itself because it's on wheels.
And the face is right from of a 300-year-old clockwork doll.
Seriously, Disneyland made stuff better than this over 30 years ago.

China just got jealous of the Japanese, and then Korean androids,
so the govt. probably said, "Slap something together ASAP and we'll promote the hell out of it!"
I seriously doubt the "voice recognition" ability as well and wouldn't be surprised if she's just remote controlled. Let Penn and Teller get a look at her and scream "Bull????"

1001011001 · Post by **1001011001** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 4:39 pm

andoroido wrote:That is a model worthy of a P.O.S. rating.
P=Piece
O=Of
S=check below

I saw this before and thought it was maybe some high school
robot club project, definitely worthy of a solid A and maybe a page 4 in the state newspaper.

But this looks like some major project.
It can only move by itself because it's on wheels.
And the face is right from of a 300-year-old clockwork doll.
Seriously, Disneyland made stuff better than this over 30 years ago.

China just got jealous of the Japanese, and then Korean androids,
so the govt. probably said, "Slap something together ASAP and we'll promote the hell out of it!"
I seriously doubt the "voice recognition" ability as well and wouldn't be surprised if she's just remote controlled. Let Penn and Teller get a look at her and scream "Bull????"

I have to agree. It's still using gears and levers. If this is about one-upping your competition, shouldn't there be prototypes with some sort of artificial muscles by now? That chinese robot is a step backwards from Repilee or even EveR. I can't even give them an A for effort.

1001011001 · Post by **1001011001** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 5:48 pm

True, but this is like going from the Wright glider to one of Da Vinci's flying machines.

Karel · Post by **Karel** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 1:17 pm

I think the basis for andoroido's negative response is that we now have a country like China entering the race, if such a race is on, to produce an autonomous android, not because (like Japan) they face an acute labour shortage in the near future, or for any similarly practical reason, but simply for propagandistic reasons. You'd like to give them an A for effort, Kishin, and I understand that, but they're now "promoting the hell out of" and making grandiose claims about something that's obviously pathetically inferior.

Do we really want a country like China to "win" the race? Or use their cheap (and enslaved) labour to foist inferior product on the world?

code_author · Post by **code_author** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 2:25 pm

I don't see the posts so much negative as factual. The Chinese tend to make big claims on most technology items. The reality is that the Chinese take a very simplistic approach to technology. The Japanese and Koreans need a ton of over-engineered external "crap" to run thier androids while the Chinese android is autonomous. Hopefully other countries will join the race and create something both simplistic and fully functional.

Code

wjbaines · Post by **wjbaines** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 5:53 pm

I don't get how it can recognize "between 500 and 1,000 words [in Mandarin]." I mean: don't the people who built the damn thing even know!? Or is it a Chinese state secret?

If this android thing ever becomes a race like the space race, pray to god that the Chinese don't win! Better Sweden!

<<<visions of Clone Wars dancing through my head, except on the Mall in D.C. instead of Geonosis, and those freaky-looking "Miss Rong Cheng" things instead of those kickass battle-droids - YEAH!>>>

andoroido · Post by **andoroido** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 8:05 pm

This Chinese "robot" is just as autonomous as a wind-up Godzilla toy.
The main things that fail to impress are:

It has no legs, but rather drives around on wheels under the puffy skirt.
The face mask that doesn't move except for mechanical blinking eyes.
It looks like they're pretty much running it by remote control.

Anybody with spare time, some cash, and basic robotics skills could have made this in a garage. I really don't understand why it got so much publicity.

Yes, the recent Japanese and Korean gynodis can't walk, but Japan already has Asimo, which has been walking for years.

The only thing we don't really know is the claims of voice recognition.
Of course, anyone can buy (or pirate) basic voice recognition software, and it can work well in a controlled environment with recognized users.

But, I tend to take any news from China with a big grain of salt.
I almost want to believe this is disinformation. That China actually has built some sexy assassin gynoid and put this clunking clockwork out as a distraction, so we'll laugh instead of being scared.

Sure, it's great more countries are trying, but China is clearly way, way behind Japan, Korea, Disneyland, and many university robotics clubs.

wjbaines · Post by **wjbaines** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 11:10 pm

What, the Chinese pull some kind of totally pointless publicity stunt that only proves that they're decades behind the serious competitors?

Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnoooooooooooooooo!

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/china-03za.html