In October, Sophia was granted citizenship in Saudi Arabia. Speaking at a
conference (pictured) in Riyadh, Sophia said: 'I am very honoured and
proud for this unique distinction. This is historical to be the first
robot in the world to be recognized with a citizenship'
At this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the firm announced they had given Sophia a pair of ugly, mechanical legs that produce movement closer to Frankenstein's monster than the young woman she pretends to be
Sophia represents a remarkable 'rise of the machines' that promises – or threatens – to revolutionise man's relationship with technology. Pictured is the android during an interview in November
Sophia (left) first emerged two years ago as a super-intelligent human-like head with a realistic face that was able to blink, look from side to side – and hold a conversation. The humanoid, which is modelled after Audrey Hepburn, was designed by Hong Kong firm Hanson Robotics
Sophia was sporting what appeared to be a pair of futuristic cowboy boots for her first steps
Just months after she made history by becoming the first robot to be granted legal citizenship, Sophia has been given legs.
The humanoid robot, which is capable of holding a conversation with humans, can now move forward in a series of clunky steps.
Sophia
represents a remarkable 'rise of the machines' that promises – or
threatens – to revolutionise man's relationship with technology.
Sophia first emerged two years ago as a
super-intelligent human-like head with a realistic face that was able to
blink, look from side to side – and hold a conversation.
The
humanoid, which is modelled after Audrey Hepburn, was designed by Hong
Kong firm Hanson Robotics, and controversially became the world's first
robot to be granted legal rights.
At
this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the firm announced
they had given Sophia a pair of ugly, mechanical legs that produce
movement closer to Frankenstein's monster than the young woman she
pretends to be.
She is able to simulate
more 60 different facial expressions, track and recognise faces, look
people in the eye, and hold natural conversations.
And
she appears even more humanlike thanks to a material that mimics real
human musculature and skin that allows her to seem more expressive.
Sophia
was created by David Hanson of Hanson Robotics, who said: 'I quest to
realise Genius Machines - machines with greater than human intelligence,
creativity, wisdom, and compassion.
At this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the firm announced they had given Sophia a pair of ugly, mechanical legs that produce movement closer to Frankenstein's monster than the young woman she pretends to be
Sophia represents a remarkable 'rise of the machines' that promises – or threatens – to revolutionise man's relationship with technology. Pictured is the android during an interview in November
WHO IS SOPHIA?
Sophia (left) first emerged two years ago as a super-intelligent human-like head with a realistic face that was able to blink, look from side to side – and hold a conversation. The humanoid, which is modelled after Audrey Hepburn, was designed by Hong Kong firm Hanson Robotics
Sophia was sporting what appeared to be a pair of futuristic cowboy boots for her first steps
'To this end, I conduct research in
robotics, artificial intelligence, the arts, cognitive science, product
design and deployment, and integrate these efforts in the pursuit of
novel human-robot relations.
He added:
'We envision that a rough symbiotic partnership with us, our robots will
eventually evolve to become super intelligent genius machines that can
help us solve the most challenging problems we face here in the world.'
It is a development that raises many questions and fears, stoked by films like The Terminator, I Robot and even Blade Runner.
Details
of her first steps were revealed by Hanson Robotics, who go by the
motto 'We bring robots to life', at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES)
in Las Vegas.
Hanson has signed a
partnership with Rainbow Robotics and DASL (Drones and Autonomous
Systems Lab) to help Sophia become a fully-fledged humanoid.
And the first step in her evolution was to
add her brains and head to a highly sophisticated robot body, called a
DRC-HUBO, which was developed by scientists in South Korea.
The
DRC-HUBO body has beaten robots from around the work in a series of
physical challenges. Some versions even have a 'transformer' ability to
switch back and forth from a walking humanoid biped to a wheeled
machine.
Chief Scientist at Hanson, Dr
Ben Goertzel, said: 'Giving Sophia a more complete and robust embodiment
is a key part of our ongoing, rapidly accelerating quest to supply her
and our other Hanson robots with general intelligence at the human level
and ultimately beyond.
'Integrating
Sophia with a body that can allow her to walk completes her physical
form so she can access the full range of human experiences, which will
help her learn to live and walk among us.'
Read more:
- Does Saudi robot citizen have more rights than women? - BBC News
- ¿¿¿ on Twitter: "¿¿¿¿¿ ¿¿¿¿¿ ¿¿¿ ¿¿¿ ¿¿¿ ¿¿¿¿ ¿¿¿¿¿ ¿ ...
- Murtaza Hussain on Twitter: "This robot has gotten Saudi citizenship before kafala workers who have been living in the country their entire lives https://t.co/RRCMH2rtZ8"
- Video: Sophia the robot wants to start a family - Khaleej Times
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