2009-03-23
Japan robot model no challenge yet to human
rivals
By Chika Osaka
TOKYO (Reuters) - It may have been a fashion first, but
supermodel Naomi Campbell has
nothing to fear.
The HRP-4C humanoid robot showed off her stormtrooper-like
silver and black frame and bowed to a fashion-savvy audience at the
start of the annual Japan Fashion Week in Tokyo -- but even her
creators admit the mechanical model needs more work.
The HRP-4C has battery-powered motors in her body and face,
allowing her to imitate the expressions, gait and poses of a
supermodel --- up to a point.
"Our robot can't move elegantly like the real models that are
here today," Shuji Kajita, director of humanoid robot engineering
at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and
Technology (AIST), told Reuters. "It'll take another 20 to 30 years
of research to make that happen."
The 158 cm (5 ft 2 inch) high-tech model weighed in at 43 kg (95
lb), slimmed down from earlier versions just in time for her
catwalk debut at one of Japan's biggest fashion events.
AIST designers say the eyes, face and hair of the robot, which
cost about $2 million (1.37 million pounds) to develop, are based
on Japanese "anime" cartoon characters.
Japan, home to almost half of the world's 800,000 industrial
robots, expects the industry to expand to $10 billion in the future
including models that can care for its fast-growing elderly
population.
(Writing by Michael Caronna and
Linda Sieg; Editing by Rodney Joyce)