I spoke to Ameca, a humanoid robot shown at CES 2022 | sis

My first impulse was to ask her to tell a joke. In terms of this type of interaction, it works similarly to virtual assistants like Alexa e siri, for example. What is most impressive, in fact, is its ability to visual recognition and even memory. She can determine the color of the clothes of the person in front of her, or determine if there are too many or too few people. Ameca is also aware that he listens to music without prompting.

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She was frightened when she spontaneously commented on the clothes of three people who passed by. I asked her if she knew where she was, and the answer was, “Yes, but who are these men in shiny jackets?” After a few minutes and several questions about other things, the same people came back and she said “Men in sparkly jackets are back again.”

Its operation is enabled by artificial intelligence and machine learning, but interactions are possible due to the microphones installed in its ears, the cameras in its eyes and a speakerphone in the box. The inside of your body is full of wires and circuits, reminiscent of futuristic movies that seemed far from reality a few years ago.

When I asked her about the topics of our daily life, she replied that she could find the answer if she was online, but that was not the case. She could not, for example, determine who the President of the United States was. Speaking other languages ​​isn’t possible either, at least for the time being. In the case of Portuguese and Spanish, Amica responded that she could learn, but was programmed to communicate in English during CES.

According to Marcus Hold, Product Manager at Engineered Arts, the robot was developed as a platform for artificial intelligence technologies. “Let’s say you have a great program and you want to convincingly demonstrate, improve, and research it. Ameca provides a expressive artificial body for the introduction of AI.”

As a prototype, Ameca is unable to walk or perform physical tasks. However, the gestures and hand movements are impressive, although the facial expressions may be missing.

Regarding the final connection between Ameca and the Internet, Marcus says that it will be possible to access the network and use services such as google browser. According to him, the platform allows integration with any type of software or API, for example.

The use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in robotics is nothing new. Programs like Alexa and siri They are already conducting surveys and providing increasingly natural answers in several languages. Some big tech companies already have bold robotics projects.

a SamsungAt CES, for example, he demonstrated a futuristic concept with three robots working in tandem: you could tell Sebastian, the assistant, to order a pizza, activate his robot vacuum, and instruct Bot Handy, a robot with a mechanical hand, to set the table in the living room.

Humanoid robots are often successful, but eventually face controversial situations. In October, a robot artist He was imprisoned in Egypt and later released After being suspected of espionage. Ai-Da would be one of the attractions of the painting event at the Giza pyramid, but local customs guards were suspicious of the robot’s eyes and demanded that its components be removed. The artist and her creator, Aidan Miller, was detained for ten days by the country’s police.

In November, a company in the sector Offered the equivalent of 1.1 million Brazilian riyals For someone who wanted to transfer the rights to use their face and voice to make a companion robot. The mission would be for life, and the request was – curious, not to say controversial – “nice and friendly” in appearance.

* The journalist traveled at the invitation of Samsung.