Japan shows off android newscaster, is eerily clever

Japanese scientists introduced to the public Kodomoroid and Otonaroid – claimed to be the world’s first news-reading androids. It surprised the crowd as they demonstrated skills by reporting news of an earthquake and an FBI raid during the event.

Kodomoroid, derived from the words “kodomo” which means child and “android” is the younger-looking robot; while Otonaroid, coming from “otona” meaning “adult” is the android that looks more like a mother.

Apart from reading news, the two androids will work at Tokyo’s National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation to interact with people and collect data regarding human’s reactions to the machines.

During the event, Kodomoroid was said to be so clever and life-like that it even expressed stage fright when asked to introduce herself – much like how an ordinary person would feel when speaking before a large crowd. Otonaroid, on the other hand, asked that she be excused after a quick reboot saying, “I’m a little nervous.”

To top it all off, Kodomoroid later on added and announced, “My dream is to have my own TV show in the future.”

Mr. Ishiguro, one of the lead creators of the androids, mentioned that these will surely be present as the years go by and technology advances. “We will have more and more robots in our lives in the future,” he said.

These robots are also portable. According to Mr. Ishiguro, one can fit the torso in a suitcase and the head inside a carry-on bag. In addition, he has his own humanoid version which he sends in different countries to give talks and lectures. “It cuts down on my business trips,” he added.

As technology moves forward, more and more people are being replaced by machines and the line in between gets thinner and thinner. We’ve reported before that an artificial intelligence is already in development that might soon replace CSRs. Are we looking at a future run by machines?

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