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November 12, 2008
"Scientists have created the first 'humanoid' robot that can mimic the facial expressions and lip movements of a human being," reports today's Daily Mail. The robot, named Jules, is, as the paper delicately puts it, "a disembodied androgynous robotic head." (Which, come to think of it, is kind of what all of us become when we go online.)
Here's how it works:
Human face movements are picked up by a video camera and mapped onto the tiny electronic motors in Jules' skin. It can grin and grimace, furrow its brow, and "speak" as the software translates real expressions observed through video camera "eyes." Jules then mimics the facial expressions of the human by converting the video image into digital commands that make the robot's servos and motors produce mirrored movements. And it all happens in real time as Jules can interpret the commands at 25 frames per second.
But let's cut to the video:
I think I know who's going to give the keynote at next year's Singularity Summit.
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Comments
Cool! Facial expressions are a hard problem.
Did you know there's already a thing called "FILM", which captures the human soul, I mean, human facial movement, and imprisons it in a spray of chemicals on plastic? And once this "shooting" process is done, the end result can be played back endlessly, even when the human is long gone? Reports have already come in of people confusing what's on the "film" with the actual human. What does it mean for our divinity?...
Posted by: Seth Finkelstein ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.roughtype.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at November 12, 2008 12:12 PM
"Scientists have created the first 'humanoid' robot that “attempts to mimic” the facial expressions and lip movements of a human being.
Soul, chemicals, one giant leap, I mean almost, an assumption that the soul might ever be captured!
Animation and the use of light comes close to capturing facial expressions but, “What does it mean for our divinity?. . . . . . . . . . .Nothing more than chaff in the wind!
Alan
Posted by: alan at November 12, 2008 01:21 PM
I guess we all need to show a little more neckline now.
Posted by: marc farley at November 12, 2008 02:50 PM
More neckline!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbFFs4DHWys
Alan
Posted by: alan at November 12, 2008 03:34 PM
And bug spray:
http://www.pinktentacle.com/2008/07/video-actroid-stars-in-tv-commercial/
Posted by: marc farley at November 12, 2008 04:57 PM
Dude,
Jules is like, SUPER HIGH
Posted by: untilthestarsturncold at November 13, 2008 09:48 AM
That's to be expected. He is, after all, a head.
Posted by: Nick Carr at November 13, 2008 09:54 AM
>> He is, after all, a head.
Max Headroom might have been a bit more entertaining talking head. Still, its funny how after two hundred years these similations really haven't improved much on The Turk. I wonder if Jules can play chess?
Posted by: Linuxguru1968 at November 15, 2008 12:36 PM
Nick,
The link to the video is 'broken'.
Posted by: Asad Quraishi at December 14, 2008 10:12 AM
The Atlantic article:
Is Google Making Us Stupid?"
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