<h2>Bot Be Nimble</h2>
This week, many of the world leaders in technology are gathered at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain.
Also in attendance is XR-1, a remarkably nimble humanoid created by INNFOS — a Chinese company that <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190225005534/en/INNFOS-Intelligent-Robot-XR1-Revealed-MWC" target="_blank" rel="noopener">believes</a> its bot could foreshadow the future of human-robot interactions.
<h2>Actuators, Mount Up</h2>
In an impressive <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/humanoids/video-friday-innfos-humanoid-robot-and-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video</a> released on Sunday, INNFOS&#8217; &#8220;intelligent service robot&#8221; demonstrates some of its capabilities, which include dancing, threading a needle, pouring a drink, and holding a raw egg without breaking it.
According to an INNFOS <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190225005534/en/INNFOS-Intelligent-Robot-XR1-Revealed-MWC" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>, XR-1 can do all of the above thanks to its unique actuators, which are the components that give a machine its ability to move.
<iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a4i8P50lG9k?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h2>Joint Effort</h2>
If we want to build a future in which humanoid robots are a regular part of everyday life, we&#8217;ll need actuators that allow for precise movements, can withstand impacts, and are compliant with safety regulations. INNFOS claims its independently developed Smart Compliant Actuator (SCA) meets all of those standards.
While it remains to be seen whether SCAs will become a &#8220;new trend of robot joints in the future,&#8221; as INNFOS claims they will in a press release, XR-1 is capable of some of the most fluid and life-like motions we&#8217;ve seen from a robot.
READ MORE: <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/humanoids/video-friday-innfos-humanoid-robot-and-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Video Friday: INNFOS Humanoid Robot, and More</a> [IEEE Spectrum]
More on human-robot interactions: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/robots-cook-clean-ikea-kitchen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A Robot Is Learning to Cook and Clean in an Ikea Kitchen</a>

XR-1's creator believes its an important step toward human-robot interactions.

Amazing video: Nimble humanoid robot threads needle, pours drink

Talented Tech

Chinese company INNFOS recently demoed the abilities of its humanoid robot XR-1, which can complete a slew of tasks with remarkable dexterity.

Amazing Video: Nimble Humanoid Robot Threads Needle, Pours Drink

This bot's motions are more fluid and lifelike than anything we've seen before.

<h2>Little Sophia</h2>
You&#8217;ve probably heard of Sophia the robot. The close-to-lifelike humanoid has graced the <a href="https://www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/fashion/saudi-citizen-sophia-the-robot-appears-on-cover-of-cosmopolitan-india-1.712749" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cover of Cosmopolitan</a>, gone on a <a href="https://youtu.be/Ml9v3wHLuWI" target="_blank" rel="noopener">date with Will Smith</a>, and made countless <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omgJi5-YT6U" target="_blank" rel="noopener">television appearances</a>.
Now Sophia appears to be multiplying — or at least diversifying the brand.
In November 2018, the Hanson Robotics <a href="https://www.hansonrobotics.com/hanson-robots/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">family</a> grew by one member when Sophia introduced the world to her &#8220;little sister&#8221; during an <a href="https://youtu.be/G-zyTlZQYpE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appearance on &#8220;The Tonight Show.&#8221;</a> And on Tuesday, Hanson launched a <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1240047277/little-sophia-by-hanson-robotics?ref=48hcbz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kickstarter campaign</a> for the new robot, giving others the opportunity to have a Little Sophia <a href="https://newatlas.com/little-sophia-robot/58280/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">join their families</a> — for a purpose, it says, beyond companionship.
<h2>STEM Sells</h2>
Little Sophia is 14 inches tall with anime-style eyes, a silver body, and a bald head with a see-through backing — just like its &#8220;big sister.&#8221; The bot also shares many of Sophia&#8217;s capabilities, including its ability to sing, walk, dance, track faces, and tell jokes.
But Little Sophia&#8217;s primary purpose is more educational.
According to the Kickstarter campaign, each Little Sophia comes with a companion app that allows target users — a child between the ages of 7 and 13 — to program the bot using the Blockly and Python languages.
&#8220;We believe that Little Sophia can help to introduce STEM, coding, and AI to children — especially girls — in a fun, safe, inspiring, and interactive way,&#8221; reads the Kickstarter campaign.
<h2>Easy Money</h2>
Hanson set a goal of $75,000 for its Kickstarter campaign. As of the time of writing, it has raised just over $60,000 with 58 days to go, so there&#8217;s a very good chance the campaign will be a success.
A Little Sophia costs between $99 and $149, depending on when it&#8217;s ordered, and Hanson expects to deliver the bots in December 2019.
While Little Sophia is far from the only <a href="https://www.dobot.cc/resource/programmable-robot-kits-for-education-in-2018.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">educational robot</a>, it does have arguably the most famous humanoid in the world in its corner, so there&#8217;s a chance the little bot might have a bigger impact than its predecessors — and perhaps even inspire the next generation of roboticists.
READ MORE: <a href="https://newatlas.com/little-sophia-robot/58280/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sophia the Robot&#8217;s Little Sister Hits Kickstarter as a Coding Companion for Kids</a> [New Atlas]
More on Sophia: <a href="https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence-hype" target="_blank" rel="noopener">You Have No Idea What Artificial Intelligence Really Does</a>

A new bot has joined the Hanson Robotics family.

You can now buy Sophia the robot's "little sister"

Sibling Robotry

Hanson Robotics has launched a Kickstarter campaign for Little Sophia, the "little sister" of Sophia, the world famous robot.

You Can Now Buy Sophia the Robot’s “Little Sister”

The tiny bot's purpose goes beyond dancing and telling jokes.

Will future firefighters have to walk through burning buildings and risk their lives like they do today? Not if the next XPrize is awarded to a worthy winner. <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/40540168/the-latest-x-prize-is-for-building-remote-controlled-humanoid-robots" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The XPrize </a><a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/40540168/the-latest-x-prize-is-for-building-remote-controlled-humanoid-robots" target="_blank" rel="noopener">foundation</a><a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/40540168/the-latest-x-prize-is-for-building-remote-controlled-humanoid-robots" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> is offering up to $10 million</a> to whoever can develop the first &#8220;real world avatar&#8221; — humanoid robots that have human identities and can be controlled remotely. With the right tech connecting them to their human counterpart, robot avatars could run into fiery buildings for us and much more.
“It’s a vision of the future where you don’t have to physically get on an airplane to go someplace,” Peter Diamandis, XPrize founder,<a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/40540168/the-latest-x-prize-is-for-building-remote-controlled-humanoid-robots" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> told Fast Company</a>. “I occupy the robots through my senses, so we can distribute expertise and capabilities where they are needed, almost instantaneously.”
<figure style="width: 777px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-126871 size-large aligncenter" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2018/03/robonaut-1200x798.jpg" alt="One day, we might be able to remotely control humanoid robots like NASA's Robonaut 2. Image Credit: NASA" width="777" height="400" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">One day, we might be able to remotely control humanoid robots like NASA&#8217;s Robonaut 2. Image Credit: NASA</figcaption></figure>
Teams looking to compete and develop <a href="https://avatar.xprize.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the world&#8217;s first, functional avatar</a> must demonstrate that their robot can operate in real-world scenarios. To be eligible, robots will have to be controlled from at least 60 miles away. The biggest challenge that teams will likely face, however, is not distance. Haptic suits that allow you to remotely experience touch already exist, but the real challenge will be to make them work in real-time. This would allow the user to feel what the robot feels and respond quickly to any unexpected input. A connection that fast doesn&#8217;t exist yet — but XPrize is hoping to change that.
This prospect is exciting, but just because money is up for grabs, that doesn&#8217;t mean there will be a winner. The foundation has seen competitions fall through before. <a href="https://lunar.xprize.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Google Lunar XPrize</a>, which began in 2007, was canceled this past January when it became clear that no team would be able to make a launch attempt by the March 2018 deadline. <a href="https://genomics.xprize.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Archon Genomics XPrize</a> aimed to reduce the cost and increase the speed of human genome sequencing is another example: the competition was called off in 2013 because the technology had already advanced very quickly.
Still, not only is Diamandis confident that the competition will yield interesting results, he is also exploring how the general public <a href="https://futurism.com/black-mirror-uss-callister/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">might respond to such avatars</a>. He believes that avatar robots will <a href="http://www.diamandis.com/blog/countdown-to-the-singularity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">become mainstream by 2032</a> — and by then, we&#8217;ll supposedly be able to transport our consciousness as well. Whether or not that last part is going to happen, robot avatars could be enormously helpful.
Besides jumping into burning buildings, avatars could allow distant family members to care for their aging parents through an avatar. Surely, at the beginning they might be capable of carrying out simple tasks only, like cleaning and checking that a patient is ok, but one day avatars could provide health care and much more.

To win the prize, robots will have to respond from at least 60 miles away.

Create a "real-world avatar," win up to $10 million

Robots & Machines

$10 millions are up for grabs, to help develop the first robotic avatar which will be our proxy in situations such as firefighting or long distance care.

Create A "Real-World Avatar," Win up to $10 Million

The XPrize foundation will reward whoever can build a working humanoid robot by 2021.  

Create A “Real-World Avatar,” Win up to $10 Million

There’s a good chance there are humanoid-resembling creatures out there, too.

Will alien life look like us?

Sci-Fi Visions

There's a good chance there are humanoid-resembling creatures out there, too.

Will Alien Life Look Like Us?

This week, <a href="http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/year-million/">NatGeo premiered Year Million</a>, a six-part miniseries that explores what our world will look like a million years from now. One exciting part of that future? Artificially intelligent (AI) robots.
<figure style="width: 360px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://futurism.com/images/types-of-ai-from-reactive-to-self-aware-infographic/"><img src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2016/12/HomeThumb.jpg-1.png" alt="Types of AI: From Reactive to Self-Aware [INFOGRAPHIC]" ></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text center"><a href="https://futurism.com/images/types-of-ai-from-reactive-to-self-aware-infographic/" target="_blank">Click to View Full Infographic</a></figcaption></figure>
To that end, the series introduces viewers to Erica, the world&#8217;s most sophisticated humanoid robot to date. She (or it, if you prefer) was produced as part of the <a href="http://www.jst.go.jp/" target="_blank">Japanese Science and Technology Agency&#8217;s (JST)</a> <a href="https://www.jst.go.jp/erato/en/about/index.html" target="_blank">Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology (ERATO) project</a>, a collaboration between <a href="http://www.osaka-u.ac.jp/en" target="_blank">Osaka University</a>, <a href="http://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en" target="_blank">Kyoto University</a>, and the <a href="http://www.atr.jp/index_e.html">Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR)</a>.
<a href="http://www.blastr.com/2017-5-15/watch-meet-most-sophisticated-android-ever-nat-geos-year-million-series" target="_blank">Vox recently shared</a> two exclusive clips from Year Million that summarize Erica&#8217;s current internal and external state, ponder the questions of what makes humans human, and explore the importance of giving Erica a humanoid appearance rather than a robotic one.
<iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o_J9kXPEwC8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3K65TeB8DnM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
ERATO is the highest funded scientific project in Japan, and it is headed up by Hiroshi Ishiguro. <a href="https://youtu.be/57Maw9Sn89w" target="_blank">In a mini-documentary by The Guardian</a> that provides a more in-depth look at Erica, exploring the precise technical features that make her tick, Ishiguro said he considers his efforts on the bot &#8220;very similar to artistic work. I try to represent humanity in robots.&#8221;
The underlying question is what constitutes a human is addressed in both The Guardian piece and the Year Million clips. In the former, Ishiguro asks, &#8220;What is the minimal definition of humans?&#8221; The answer to this question will no doubt affect any debates concerning robotic ethics. If a mechanical system meets the definition of &#8220;human,&#8221; does it automatically deserve <a href="https://futurism.com/sorry-westworld-we-should-be-able-to-torture-robots/" target="_blank">the same rights as biological humans</a>?

Artificial Intelligence

See new video footage of Erica, Japan's eerily human robot.

Watch: This Is the World’s Most Sophisticated Humanoid Robot

“What is the minimal definition of humans?”

Controlled remotely by deep-sea archeologist Oussama Khatib, OceanOne is able to send him live haptic feedback, essentially feeling what the robot “feels.”

Controlled remotely by deep-sea archeologist Oussama Khatib, OceanOne is able to send him live haptic feedback, essentially feeling what the robot "feels."

OceanOne Is The Humanoid Robotic Diver That Just Revolutionized Deep-Sea Archeology

This little robot is more than just a programmable machine – it can actually learn. Here are just some of the things that it can do.

This little robot is more than just a programmable machine - it can actually learn. Here are just some of the things that it can do.

/Humanoid

Talented Tech

Amazing Video: Nimble Humanoid Robot Threads Needle, Pours Drink

Sibling Robotry

You Can Now Buy Sophia the Robot’s “Little Sister”

Robots & Machines

Create A “Real-World Avatar,” Win up to $10 Million

Sci-Fi Visions

Will Alien Life Look Like Us?

Artificial Intelligence

Watch: This Is the World’s Most Sophisticated Humanoid Robot

Artificial Intelligence

OceanOne Is The Humanoid Robotic Diver That Just Revolutionized Deep-Sea Archeology

Sci-Fi Visions

The NAO Humanoid Robot Can Draw, Dance, Drive a Car, and More!

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