Name: Robots that "show emotion"
Uploaded: 2009-10-13T01:00:00Z
Duration: 4 min 40 s
Description: David Hanson's robot faces look and act like yours: They recognize and respond to emotion, and make expressions of their own. Here, an "emotional" live demo of the Einstein robot offers a peek at a future where robots truly mimic humans.

David Hanson: Robots that "show emotion"

Robots that "show emotion"

David Hanson's robot faces look and act like yours: They recognize and respond to emotion, and make expressions of their own. Here, an "emotional" live demo of the Einstein robot offers a peek at a future where robots truly mimic humans.

Robots are learning to recognize faces, make eye contact, and even mimic nuanced human facial expressions. Using novel materials like Frubber, engineers have created lightweight androids that can walk and interact naturally. One android, designed as a portrait of science fiction writer Philip K. Dick, could hold conversations by drawing from thousands of his writings. These advances suggest that machines could one day develop empathy and form real relationships with people.