Video: Creepy Japanese Expression-Mimicking Robot Hangs Out In Hospitals, "Comforting" Patients

Now that is scary...

japan really hate their patients.

I think its cute. Anyway, cant they just make it act normal instead of making insane gestures.

As unsettling as that was, it is by FAR the most realistic looking robot I've ever seen. Almost hard to believe. Good job Japan.

does it give out hugs?

I think its cool heres an idea give it legs a disfigured face,and since robots already move in a zombie type shuffle your all set and good to go.Congratulations you officially made a robotic Silent Hill nurse.

Oh boy... these Japs are insane

I wonder what robots will be like when they have decent bodies, and AI. They never feel hunger, thirst, or pain so they should see no point in material gain (the basis of which is survival with humans). They will have absolutely no drive to do anything whatsoever.
If I live to see one I'll buy as many as possible, stock up on weapons, teach them the value of human life, and wage a war against the army of PETAbots convinced that humans are evil and need to be destroyed.

"I am deeply sorry, venerable Grandpa, but your heirs are too busy guzzling your money to take care of you in your dying throes. Please accept my condolences while I stare at you with ageless, unfeeling eyes."

Ah, progress.

@blaxpear

Careful with the word Jap, it can be considered offensive to some.

Why is it every time there is an article on this website about robots, the adjective 'creepy' can always be found with it.
Isn't the whole point of creating a robot to be more appealing and user-friendly? What do you want, the Japanese to just suit their robots up in giant bunny outfits?

On subject, I think the facial movement abilities of the robot is pretty impressive. Seems like they are getting closer and closer to realism every time a new robot pops up on here.

@ TheFourth yes that is exactly the point,but these robots always seem to cross over into the uncanny valley region.Also as cute as a bunny bot sounds I think only children and furries would be interested in interacting with them.

I think the expressions are awesome.. A few more tweaks and say 5 years from now no one can tell the difference.

yeah it is kinda creepy, especially when thats how you introduce us to it. its the closest yet. but thats not what we're told it is, we're told "look at this creepy machine those robot-freaks have made to 'comfort'." what? anyone else who doesn't think thats showing journalistic integrity?

The Japanese are really good at this kind of stuff.

Martin Ayala | http://www.juegos.gs

I can't believe that a magazine like Popular Science would label this as 'creepy'. Same goes for this article: www popsci com/gadgets/article/2010-04/freaky-robot-mouth-simulates-human-voices

Rather than appreciate such advancements in robotics, I can't believe that Popular Science is mocking the same. I feel sorry for Julie Beck that her opinions reflect an ignorant and uneducated character. Spare the sarcastic tone too.

I read Popular Science regularly and I got so pissed off when reading this article that I finally felt compelled to create an account and leave this comment.

@gameboymg thats exactly what I'm thinking. Shouldn't we be praising such achievements in robotics? We weren't able to do such things even 10 years ago.

@gameboymg
I was going to write the same thing, this is AWESOME and not creepy at all...

I am amazed at the approach japenese have toward lack of workers, instead of relying on immigration they are trying to build the best robots they can, thats just a way better approach I think! I wish westerners could learn from this and start building robots too. The day an advanced robot cost as much as a car imagine all the possibility we could have...

I think humanoid robots come off as creepy because they violate our most basic instincts. Our brains have evolved to make near-instant judgments about whether an object is alive or not, and human or not, faster and more accurately than other simple characterizations like color or shape. These snap decisions were, and still are to so some extent, important for survival, and when they contradict what we know from experience or observation we get a bad feeling. For instance we find things we think should be alive that are dead to be creepy, but not as creepy as things we think are inanimate that suddenly appear to be alive, because that could be more threatening. We also find humans acting like animals and animals acting like humans disturbing.

Personally I found this the creepiest robot I've seen, with the Big Dog robot a close second because I know it's a machine, but part of my brain that is almost always right is constantly saying that thing has to be alive, and in this case, human.

Typical medical model bull crap! - Its just like the robo surgeon using a machine and being somewhere else. Thats crap. Show up for my surgery! What are you too good to cut on me! You are too "special" to be there for my brush with death on the operating table? Go screw yourself. Use a machine if you like, but you need to be there and watch me bleed to death. The same with "caring". Be there. Be a human being, like me. Computers dont care. They are not supposed to. Humans are.

I must agree with some of the contributors on two counts:

1. That this was poor journalism on the part of Ms Beck

2. That this is a major advance in the technology

If Ms Beck wishes to editorialize she may wish to find another venue for it. Her expressed personal opinion appears to be wholly out of place in a magazine whose very purpose is to report on advances in science and technology. Her comments were very disappointing.

May I also offer my agreement with jcbullen with regard to the use of derogatory slang terms used to describe Japanese persons, submitted in some of the comments - it's not the first time I've seen this kind of slur, and it should not be passed over as an acceptable term.

This is a significant advance, and contrary to some of the negative comments made, I would congratulate the Japanese on both the pursuit and refinement of this technology. Very impressive indeed.

It moves very humanly. Its smile is nice :) If I were to just glance at her I'd think that she was in fact a human.

www.geekness.webs.com

I don't find this creepy nor horror. It is far from perfect though, but this is a huge step forward. I don't know how patients will accept it, but it is a brave step and I congratulate it.

I agree with some of the more intelligent commenters here. This is a major step up compared to other robots made in recent years and should be celebrated, especially on a technology blog / magazine.

I think you really need to think long and hard on how you want to present new technology in the future... a more in depth article on the technology used would have been nice. Without all the negative vibes.

Wow. So we're going to praise a creepy (get over it, it's creepy and bizarre and everyone knows it) robot that can sit there and "comfort" hospital patients. Why don't we have the robot do something useful, like emptying bedpans or something?

Actually, scratch that. The only thing worse than a creepy robot mocking your disability is having it dump your own pee on you.

Before you know it people will be dating these things!

Now just imagine if all the robotic companies got together, we could possibly have an I-Robot that exceeds the movie itself. I dunno man, can anyone say TERMINATOR! LOL

Interesting. Also creepy.

Okay that is suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuper creepy. But in a strange way really awesome too. I can't believe the obstacles that scientists and engineers have overcome in the fields of artificial intelligence and robotics! It truly is quite amazing. As time passes, the line between humans and humanoids is fading more and more.....

The future of robotics will add human-like programming that mimics thought, here's an idea for the algorithm:
www.associatedcontent.com/article/5790196/future_of_robotics_mapping_the_human.html?cat=58

Everyday techonolgy is growing more and more, but for the technology in robotics to become this advanced is kind of a scary idea. Actually it's not an idea anymore, it's becoming reality and I am fearful to see the developments of this technology in future years.

The first time I saw this in Sci Fi class I shuttered. Now its all that i can take not to cringe. Ive only had to stay in the hospital once and it was lonely enough with only the HUMAN nurses popping in and out and when the doctor came. When I was getting the IV the nurse offered me to squeeze her hand -an instinct from being a mother she had told me. A robot would not have that reaction. The idea of a robot eventually taking care of my IV makes me skin crawl. If these come to the US any time soon, Im relocating or going into medicine so I can take care of myself. This advancement in technology is going to give me nightmares.

The first time I saw this in Sci Fi class I shuttered. Now its all that i can take not to cringe. Ive only had to stay in the hospital once and it was lonely enough with only the HUMAN nurses popping in and out and when the doctor came. When I was getting the IV the nurse offered me to squeeze her hand -an instinct from being a mother she had told me. A robot would not have that reaction. The idea of a robot eventually taking care of my IV makes me skin crawl. If these come to the US any time soon, Im relocating or going into medicine so I can take care of myself. This advancement in technology is going to give me nightmares.

The first time I saw this in Sci Fi class I shuttered. Now its all that i can take not to cringe. Ive only had to stay in the hospital once and it was lonely enough with only the HUMAN nurses popping in and out and when the doctor came. When I was getting the IV the nurse offered me to squeeze her hand -an instinct from being a mother she had told me. A robot would not have that reaction. The idea of a robot eventually taking care of my IV makes me skin crawl. If these come to the US any time soon, Im relocating or going into medicine so I can take care of myself. This advancement in technology is going to give me nightmares.

The first time I saw this in Sci Fi class I shuttered. Now its all that i can take not to cringe. Ive only had to stay in the hospital once and it was lonely enough with only the HUMAN nurses popping in and out and when the doctor came. When I was getting the IV the nurse offered me to squeeze her hand -an instinct from being a mother she had told me. A robot would not have that reaction. The idea of a robot eventually taking care of my IV makes me skin crawl. If these come to the US any time soon, Im relocating or going into medicine so I can take care of myself. This advancement in technology is going to give me nightmares.

What's so scary about an adorable little Japanese woman? So maybe your nurse is a robot. This idea sounds really cool.

China's fastest computer, Japan's nimblest robot...USA's sour grapes?

I think its pretty cool, not creepy at all. I would rather have a robot comforting me in a hospital rather than a nurse thats been working for 12 hours and bitchy.

Can she F#@& ?