So in Japan, there is university professor Hiroshi Ishiguro. One time, he built a top of the line robot of himself. Also, keep in mind this was back in 2010. So keep in mind how far IT support and robotics are now. This is where Ibuki comes in. Meete Ibuki the robot. Are robotics going too far?
So Ibuki is a robot that patterns after a 10 year old boy. It (yes I call it ‘it’ and not ‘he’) has wheels for legs, but the face and hands look eerily human. However, that’s not the scariest thing about Ibuki. It scans for faces. It also uses a half track system for moving around. Ibuki the robot can’t talk, but it blinks and can move it’s head. That is the way it communicates with humans. In fact, I saw a video of Ibuki doing this with it’s creator, Hiroshi Ishiguro. Not only can such robots interact with humans, but with other robots. That is his goal. To have robots communicating with humans as well with other robots. Ibuki has wheels for legs, but he can move around and walk like a human being.
However, keep in mind it’s not completely human. So if you see Ibuki the robot walk down the street, you’ll still know it’s a robot. It has exposed wires for a head and neck. But you and I know this is just the beginning. We see it everywhere, don’t we? From Sophia the robot in Saudi Arabia to Boston Dynamics near our computer service shop, there seems to be a robotic race. It’s a race to make robots look and act more human and animal like on a daily basis. The scary part is, they’re succeeding. How long before they become so intelligent they come after us and want our world for themselves. Are robotics going too far?