Over the past 18 years, Japanese artist Hiroshi Ishiguro has created six of his robot clones, each of which has become more and more like the author.
His latest creation, dubbed Geminoid HI-6, is a realistic, teleoperated android in his physical likeness. The robot is currently on display in his laboratory at Osaka University. According to Ishiguro, the robot is designed to make his work easier. Under the control of AI, the android takes on some tasks that its creator does not have time for.
«The main feature of this version is that it is conversational. We integrated it with a large speech model, and then added ten of my books and almost all media interviews/ At first, I used this robot to give lectures when I was busy. But now, after the lectures, Geminoid HI-6 can answer questions from the audience,» says Hiroshi Ishiguro in an interview with CNBC.
The robot copies the appearance exclusively. It is also capable of reproducing facial expressions
«The skin is made of silicone. It feels very close to real human skin».
Ishiguro’s creation can’t walk yet, but he hopes to create a «bipedal» mechanism for it in the near future. The voice of Geminoid HI-6 is also not an exact copy of the original.
«If we hope to have a better relationship with robots, it is very important to feel close to the robot, to accept the robot as a member of our society».
Making an android as human-like as possible is Ishiguro’s main goal. He and his colleagues are striving for a future where interaction with a humanoid robot will become commonplace. Earlier, the inventor demonstrated an android at the reception called «Erica», which can be remotely controlled or interact with visitors autonomously.