Human-like robots have taken a big step toward becoming a reality.
Sophia, as she is called, has life-like skin called “Frubber” through which an electric current can be passed allowing the robot to mimic 62 facial and neck expressions.
She, or it, also has cameras for eyes allowing her to recognize humans and even make eye contact. Sophia also has voice recognition capabilities thanks to Google Chrome and other artificial intelligence systems.
Through interaction with humans, Sophia’s creators say the robot will get smarter over time.
Sophia was created by Hanson Robotics, headed by David Hanson, who said she was designed to look like a combination of Audrey Hepburn and Hanson's wife.
He says robots like Sophia could help in health care, physical therapy, education and customer service, according to an interview on CNBC.
Hanson launched the firm in 2003, saying he wanted to create “humanlike robots with greater-than-human wisdom."
Sophia has some very human ambitions
"In the future, I hope to do things such as go to school, study, make art, start a business, even have my own home and family, but I am not considered a legal person and cannot yet do these things," she said.
Although when Hanson made a joke about destroying humans, she said "OK. I will destroy humans."
Hanson believes robots like Sophia “will walk among us” in the near future. He added that he wants future robots to be easily distinguishable from humans.
Here is Sophia in action:
