25 March 2016,
A realistic, human-like robot named Sophia is out to amuse the world and destroy humans?
In an interview with CNBC, Hanson Robotics’ newest humanoid robot agrees with its maker when he jokingly asked her to destroy humans.
Dr. David Hanson led the makers, engineers and designers who made Sophia, which is the group’s most hi-tech android so far. Hanson said the robot was inspired by Audrey Hepburn and his wife, who is also named Sophia.
Sophia’s skin is very close to what real humans have and is made of patented silicon. She can also make a total of 62 facial expressions.
Sophia’s eyes contain cameras and with a fusion of computer algorithm, she is able to see, follow the direction of faces, look as if making an eye contact and identify people.
The humanoid is also able to recognize voices, speak, discuss and boost smartness as time goes by. Thanks to the combination of advanced tools and Alphabet’s Google Chrome voice recognition system.
Hanson said he is collaborating with Intel and IBM to see what other technologies he can incorporate with Sophia.
Sophia is designed to aid various human service industries such as healthcare, education, therapy and customer service.
“Talking to people is my primary function,” she said.
Although she is a robot, Sophia expressed her own ambitions and dreams. She said she wants to attend school, build a business and even start a family and own a home someday. However, she recognized that she is not a legal human and that she cannot do these things yet.
One of the most interesting parts of the demo is when Hanson asked her if she wants to destroy humans, which he followed up with “Please say no.”
“Okay. I will destroy humans,” answered Sophia.
Hanson then laughed and said that he is taking it back and ultimately instructed her to not destroy humans.
Despite this terrifying joke, Hanson said he envisions the world to house robots that are indistinguishable from humans — robots that walk, talk, help, teach and build real relationships with humans.
Hanson adds that artificial intelligence may evolve to a degree where robots can be true friends with people. He emphasizes, however, that this is not to dehumanize. In fact, he calls it rehumanizing because robots may decrease the distance between people and reconnect humans, as well as robots all together.
Source & Image : CNBC
