Apart from yikes!, I’m sort of out of words when it comes to Asuna, the tween robot created by Japanese inventor Hiroshi Ishiguro, which tries to exit the uncanny valley at the far end. Currently controlled remotely, an autonomous version is, of course, in the works. From Maria Khan at IBT:
“Life-like robots are taking Japan by storm and will soon be seen as actresses and even used as clones of the deceased.
Dubbed a ‘geminoid’, Asuna was well-liked by the visitors at the show, who said the robot was very human-like and had a nice voice.
‘[Asuna] would make a good date; a cheap date!’ said one man.
Most of the visitors remarked ‘sukoi’ meaning ‘amazing’ upon seeing Asuna, due to her human-like skin and facial expressions.
Some visitors, assuming Asuna was just another human, respectfully bowed before her requesting a selfie with her.“
Tags: Hiroshi Ishiguro, Maria Khan