Robotics researchers develop a new robot face that can talk and respond like humans

The idea

Robotic researchers at the Institute for Cognitive Systems (ICS) at Munich have teamed up with some researchers in Japan to design a real life-like human face for robot. The face, called Mask-bot, is not static, indeed; it can speak the way humans do and show the real life emotions. Mask-bot project will help researchers in future build robots with human faces. Yes, the gap between humans and robots is to get abridged gradually. The technology is not available for commercial use now. Researchers have just prepared the replica of what they wish to realize in future.

Mask-bot

The making

Mask-bot is, in fact, a 3D image of a human face. It is made possible by projecting the image onto the rear part of a plastic mask. Amazingly, the face can be seen from different angles, including the sides also. The projector makes use of a high-compression fish-eye to multiply the beam to broad angles. The robotic face articulates the content typed via keyboard or text-to-speech technology. Right now, the robotic face supports English and Japanese. German will soon appear on it, researchers reveal.

The cost involved

According to its designers, the Mask-bot project has cost $4100 for the first time. It is not ready for commercial purpose, however. To build a second generation Mask-bot, the cost should be only below $600.

What’s new?

Until now, we have been familiar with only robots with human actions, not human faces. The face part of the robots was not attended well. The new technology will realize robots with human-like faces, human expressions, emotions and communication skills. Moreover, a human faced robot will be a great assistance in videoconferencing and other forms of advanced communication technologies. The robot will speak to you the way a human being talks, of course, with the same expressions and emotions. This is what Mask-bot project is to offer to you in special. Definitely, robotics will turn more exciting with human faces that talk and behave like human beings.

Mask-bot reproduces the content typed through a keyboard or via text-to-speech mode. In the second option, the robot will replicate what you tell to it. A video clip of Mask-bot is showing one researcher speaking to something in English and Japanese. The robot after a while repeats his words clearly. Mask-bot can produce both male and female voices. Apart from making voices, it can show the emotion, mainly sadness and happiness. Other emotions will be there in future.

What’s refreshing?

It is a time robotics is growing sporadically. Lots of new technologies are there in robotics right now. The new invention will add more perfection into burgeoning growth of the field. In future, we will have robots with human faces that speak and show the emotions of human beings. Such a technology will increase the scope for robots in many more applications. Technologists could develop variety of robots with human faces to use in applications like teleconferencing, face to face communication and other areas of advanced communications.

Applications

Certainly, Mask-bot will be a great help in teleconferencing and many other form of communications. The real life-like faces of robots will help us use them in many other applications. According to its designers, with Mask-bot, one will feel as a real person is communicating with him/her at the other side of the tablet. This feature will make Mask-bot an initiator of several advancements in robotics. Let us hope the researchers will continuously try to develop more advanced forms of human like robotics using the technology behind Mask-bot. It will ultimately end up in reducing the gap between robotic and humans.

Quotes

See what Takaaki Kuratate, creator of Mask-bot says of it.

Usually, participants are shown on screen. With Mask-bot, however, you can create a realistic replica of a person that actually sits and speaks with you at the conference table. You can use a generic mask for male and female, or you can provide a custom-made mask for each person.