Meka girl robot takes a step closer to the uncanny valley

I would suppose that sometime down the road, there will be another barrier that needs to be breached – that of human-robot relationships. We’re talking about interaction and relationships on a far more physical level, instead of robots merely being subservient to us. That’s still a long way off even if it is remotely possible, but efforts like Meka Robotics’ S2 Humanoid Head certainly help the cause.

Boasting up to seven degrees of freedom, high-resolution FireWire cameras in each eye, zero-backlash Harmonic Drive gearing in the neck, and the ability to achieve human-like movements and postures, this might be the catalyst or blueprint for future robots – at least from the head’s point of view. Tipping the scales at 7.6kg, she will feature two luminous, waggling doggy-like ears that can be hooked up to a Meka torso and arm.

I suppose the $300,000 or so that it costs to purchase the S2 Humanoid Head might be better spent wooing a real life human, where that kind of money will be enough to net you a house, car and cover the costs of your wedding as well.