Can robots experience emotion? Certainly not, but that doesn’t mean that they cannot be programmed to express it on their faces. At least, that’s what researchers at Germany’s Bielefeld University are working on, where this expressive humanoid robot head known as FloBi will feature simple doll-like features that doesn’t make your skin crawl when you see it in action. It is slightly larger than a standard adult human head, where its modular design enables researchers to change its perceived gender simply by snapping together pieces with clips and magnets. It features 18 degrees of freedom in total for its head and neck, where among them includes a proprietary magnetic actuator that will move its lips. All eyebrows, eyelids, eyes, lips, and neck can move independently, helping it deliver a range of emotions such as happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, and fear. FloBi even comes with a camera in each eye, some microphones, a gyro sensor and LEDs in its cheeks that help simulate a blush response.
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