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| A robot that mimics human facial expressions in a scary way |
UK-based human designer and manufacturer Engineered Arts recently showed one of its most realistic works on a YouTube video.
The video shows a robot called Ameca incredibly imitating a range of human facial expressions.
At the beginning of the video, Amica seemed to be waking up, a mixture of confusion and frustration on his face as he opened his eyes. But when Amica began to look at his hands and arms, the robot opened its mouth and raised its eyebrows in admiration.
Since its launch by Engineered Arts earlier this week, the 40-second clip has received more than a million views online.
The company describes Ameca as the world's most advanced robot, and at the forefront of humanoid robotics technology.
But Ameca won't run and jump like Atlas robots from Boston Dynamics. We may not see an Amika walk among us anytime soon.
Engineered Arts have stated that Ameca is currently unable to walk, but they hope to give him that ability at some point.
Whether or not Ameca is working with AI, Engineered Arts explains, it's leaving AI capabilities to developers because it processes realistic body movements.
Engineered Arts has also developed another realistic robot called Mesmer. The company said it used real-world 3D scans to give the robot precise bone structure, skin texture and realistic facial expressions.
In the video released a few days after the Ameca show, Mesmer made a series of facial expressions that looked more convincing because this robot's skin and facial features were more realistic than those of the current Ameca.
As Engineered Arts focuses on developing humanoid robots for science centers, parks, and businesses, it is likely that Ameca and Mesmer will be the focus of venues and events, rather than robots designed for specific tasks.
Ameca robot shows human facial expressions
The company said that Ameca is a platform for developing artificial intelligence. But it enables others to develop the necessary machine learning algorithms.
Engineered Arts previously reported that it uses powerful, quiet, high-torque motors to power Mesmer's body and head movements. Everything was designed from the start to work perfectly together.
It also uses sensors such as cameras, depth sensors, LiDAR devices, and microphones. To control the actions, I developed a browser based software. The principle of operation of the program is similar to the application of 3D visual effects or animation for games.
If you want to see Amica in real life. Engineered Arts has announced that it will show it at CES 2022 in January.