Here come the robots...

Wednesday 30 September

How many times have we said that the Robots are coming? Well this time it’s true. Just ask Jon. He recently got to check out some very, very clever robots to see how close we are to creating the perfect android – a humanoid robot!

First up Jon headed to Austria to interact with the Geminoid – a robotic clone of a human. The steel and silicone Geminoid is made from casts taken of its creator, so it looks just like a human. It’s powered by pressurised air and 50 small actuators to mimic movement. It doesn’t have a brain, so it works by remote, with cameras scanning your face then transmitting the information to the Geminoid, who relays what your saying via facial movements and speakers.

But how close are we to a robot that thinks like humans? Jon headed to Brighton to take part in the Turing test to judge some of the best artificial intelligence Chatter Box programmes. These send you messages and try to fool you into thinking that you’re ‘chatting’ with a real human. So could Jon get hoodwinked by a computer?

Finally Jon sought out the iCub in Plymouth. It’s a one-metre tall robot that’s part of a €100 million a year cognitive robotics project to develop a robot that moves and learns like a child. There are currently 18 iCubs being worked on all around the world, with each institute focusing on different areas. Eventually all the information will come together with the aim of creating one super iCub toddler. Now all we’ll need is a super-nanny!

It’s impressive stuff. So how far away are we from Arnie-alike cyborgs terrorising us with red eyes? Well, watch the video to find out…