Let’s meet with Zeno. Yet, he can not talk or walk but he can blink eyes to track people. His face will hold your interest with a range of expressions.
David Hanson, the genius inventor and father of ‘Frubber’ life-like robotic skin has introduced his 18 month-old son Zeno, who smiles as he is bound through his father’s restricted office. Zeno can learn and use your face and name, express artificial emotions and even make eye contact with humans and family pets. Sometimes, when I talk in the room, Zeno will look me in my eye and say ‘Hi’. Isn’t cool?
A group of engineers, designers and programmers at Hanson Robotics in Texas have created a 17 inch tall, 6 pound robot boy named him Zeno. Hanson will show this robot Zeno in front of 12-grade students at the Wired NextFest Technology conference.
Hanson claimed that Zeno has an interactive learning companion, a synthetic pal who can engage in conversation and convey human emotion through a face made of a skin like patented material, called ‘frubber’.
Unlike other robots, Zeno’s brain is not inside in it but its brain is wirelessly connected with a PC running a variant of Massive software. Zeno would be available within the next three years for $200 to $300.
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