Remember the Actroid-F robot that we covered earlier this year, bringing us nearer to the uncanny valley when one is face-to-face with it? Well, AIST decided that it is not good for the Actroid-F to be alone, hence coming up with a male version (what will it be called – the Actroid-M?). Mechanically, these two are the same, and if you rid them of their wigs, they’re more or less two peas in a pod. The male version looks so because of cosmetics and wigs, and it intends to see action so that researchers can compare the impressions made by male and female robots.
Not only that, the manufacturers decided to include cameras in the retinas of these robots so that the robot itself is capable of directing its line of sight towards a particular subject – making it even more lifelike now instead of staring blankly into space. Just how far will robotics and advancement in the medical field go before we end up with someone like Data from Star Trek?