Japan Unveils World’s First Android Newscaster

Ever since the dawn of cinematic entertainment people have been significantly mesmerized by robots. In the beginning it was a sign of superiority, however lately, it has become a visionary tool to help us in our daily lives as well as to keep us company. The aim has always been to mimic the human intelligence as well as our ever astounding animatics. Japan, as it seems, has always been in the forefront of robotics, and they recently unveiled the world’s first android newscaster.

The android newscaster named Kodomoroid, developed under the supervision of Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro, has taken the world by storm. Mr. Ishiguro says the android newscaster he has developed has perfect language skills and even sports a sense of humor. The aim for most robot and android developers is to create a superior artificial intelligence that can compare itself to that of humans. The research around artificial intelligence has substantially increased in the last couple of years, and experts say that we could expect intelligent and versatile household androids as soon as 2025.

Even though the Kodomoroid android newscaster has yet to find employment, it is a huge step forward for android development. Androids today may look very realistic; however, their movement is still bulky and, well, robotic. Mr. Ishiguro’s goal is to create an android that can’t be distinguished from a human. It is a feat that is going to take a lot of research and development, but one that he says is definitely possible.

Professor Ishiguro is one of the world’s leading robotics researchers, and he has presented a line of androids, each taking innovative leaps in robotics, that if refined could very well become the iRobots of our world.

Humans have always consulted our imagination to solve problems, but perhaps in the future we will consult androids to solve our problems instead. I am quite sure that we are not going to see the advanced robotics portrayed in Blade Runner anytime soon, but all the research and development that is currently being undertaken is testament enough that it will not be too long until we’ll see a realistic and indistinguishable android walking among us.

Professor Ishiguro Unveils World’s First Android Newscaster

VIA: [AFP]