Robot Model Hits Osaka Fashion Show  HRP-4C Female Robot |
A robot dressed in an elegant wedding gown walked the ramp at an Osaka fashion show, which paved the way to a major advancement in humanoid technology.
This robot was developed by the Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology.
Despite being burdened by the over-weight dress, the HRP-4C female robot easily walked down the ten metre ramp at the fashion show.
Kazuhito Yokoi, who is the creator of 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 is 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.
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 tapes, which are triggered off by the sound of your voice and no one else's," he wrote in his 1954 short story 'Mechanical Bride'.
