3D Printed Robot Mimics Human Emotions

IMTS

Share this Article

What do you think of when you hear the word “robot?” You probably don’t think of emotions. Human beings are described as robotic if they lack emotion. Robotic and human seem polar opposites. But now researchers at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) have developed a humanoid robot that mimics human emotions, delivering movie lines with appropriate gravity and becoming visibly moved when listening to music.

It’s a far cry from Westworld, but the robot designed by the researchers is a step toward the development of robots that are more, well, human. They used an interesting 3D printing-like technology to create it, too. First, they designed a 3D model and created a foldable blueprint, which was then printed on a thin foam material. The foam pieces, which are connected by pieces of string running down their centers, are stacked on top of each other to form a humanoid head.

“Using the same techniques as 3D printing, it creates the desired 3D figure by repeating layers from the bottom. It takes about two to three hours,” explained I.M. Se-Hyuk, Senior Researcher of Robotics at KIST.

When the researchers press on the ends of the strings, the robot moves like a marionette, but when artificial intelligence is brought into the equation, the robot actually reacts to its environment.

“If combined with an intelligence structure, it will be able to react to what I say and interact as such,” continued Se-Hyuk.

It’s a bit eerie to watch, as it has the contours of a face, but not actual features – yet it moves similarly to the way a human face does. It doesn’t have the capacity to chase you through a park like some of its cousins, but it can stare eyelessly at you, which is almost as bad. If you have a robot phobia, this one likely won’t ease your discomfort.

If you’re a fan of robots and all that they can be programmed to do, however, this one is pretty cool. The researchers expect that it will be used for graphics production in the film industry, which answers the question “Why give a robot the ability to express human emotions?” The human face is an incredibly complex thing with subtle cues and reflections, and it can express a lot with very little movement. My favorite actors have always been the ones who can express great emotion while appearing to do very little with their faces or bodies. In that regard, this robot won’t likely be winning an Oscar anytime soon – not for best actor, anyway, though maybe for special effects. Its facial movements aren’t quite subtle, but rather puppetlike.

Still, the robot is a fascinating example of what technology is capable of doing, and its fabrication is an interesting variation on 3D printing as well. I’ve never seen anything else quite like this particular robot, even as many robots are becoming more humanoid. It will be interesting to see how it may be used in movies – keep an eye out for KIST in the credits of films to come.

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below. 

 

Share this Article


Recent News

Will There Be a Desktop Manufacturing Revolution outside of 3D Printing?

Know Your Würth: CEO AJ Strandquist on How Würth Additive Can Change 3D Printing



Categories

3D Design

3D Printed Art

3D Printed Food

3D Printed Guns


You May Also Like

Featured

Pressing Refresh: What CEO Brad Kreger and Velo3D Have Learned About Running a 3D Printing Company

To whatever extent a business is successful thanks to specialization, businesses will nonetheless always be holistic entities. A company isn’t a bunch of compartments that all happen to share the...

Würth Additive Launches Digital Inventory Services Platform Driven by 3D Printing

Last week, at the Additive Manufacturing Users’ Group (AMUG) Conference in Chicago (March 10-14), Würth Additive Group (WAG) launched its new inventory management platform, Digital Inventory Services (DIS). WAG is...

Featured

Hypersonic Heats Up: CEO Joe Laurienti on the Success of Ursa Major’s 3D Printed Engine

“It’s only been about 24 hours now, so I’m still digesting it,” Joe Laurienti said. But even via Zoom, it was easy to notice that the CEO was satisfied. The...

Featured

3D Printing’s Next Generation of Leadership: A Conversation with Additive Minds’ Dr. Gregory Hayes

It’s easy to forget sometimes that social media isn’t reality. So, at the end of 2023, when a burst of doom and gloom started to spread across the Western world’s...