Robothespian is ambassador for human-robot interaction

Let us face the facts – talking to a robot is novel when you think about it, but in the long run, I am quite sure that most of us out there would absolutely love nothing better than to hold a conversation with another human. I guess technology is helping us get to a point where human-robot interaction is “normal”, and this is where Robothespian comes in. Already the main star at Lyon’s Innorobo fair, which is an annual event for robots, the android “actor” was developed by robotics firm Engineered Arts Limited.

According to spokesman Will Jackson, Robothespian’s role is to help improve human-robot interaction, never mind the fact that the automaton can sometimes appear rather aloof. I guess that has a little bit to do with the stiff upper lip it inherited from its British-based creators. Do you think future projects that require a robot to interact with a human will look to the Robothespian for inspiration, or will such research start from scratch all over again?