Tokyo: Japanese scientists have made a
robot in an elaborate wedding dress walk down the runway at an
Osaka fashion show, a development seen as a major advance in
humanoid technology.
Developed by Japan’s National Institute of Advanced
Industrial Science and Technology, the "pretty woman" in an
elaborate wedding dress took part in the fashion show earlier
this week.
Though encumbered by the dress, HRP-4C female robot
easily navigated the ten metre runway at the fashion show.
Kazuhito Yokoi, who created HRP-4C robot, expressed
the feelings of many when he said "Like the father of a bride,
I feel both happy and sad."
The female humanoid robot stands just 5 feet 2 inches
tall and weighs a mere 95 pounds - batteries included. The
robot has highly realistic facial features, and is able to use
facial motions and arm movements to indicate basic emotions,
such as anger and surprise, the Live Science reported.
Science fiction writer Fritz Lieber foresaw this
development.
"Streamlined, smooth-working, absolutely noiseless,
breath-takingly realistic. Each one is powered by thirty-seven
midget electric motors, all completely noiseless, and is
controlled by instructions, recorded on magnetic tape, which
are triggered off by the sound of your voice and no one
else's," he wrote in his 1954 short story 'Mechanical Bride'.
Bureau Report
First Published: Sunday, July 26, 2009, 18:13