Aldebaran Robotics' humanoid robot NAO is in use by dozens of universities around the world as a standardized robot platform for research. But could robots replace fictional robots in the movies?
In film, robots are often played by human beings. In Star Wars, the part of C3PO is played by Anthony Daniels. But take a look at this recent "performance" by NAO of the scene from Return of the Jedi in which C3PO tells a story to the Ewoks:
(NAO robot performs as C3PO from Star Wars)
I'm having a bit of trouble finding a really good reference for this idea, but I know there must be one. You can read about synthespians in William Gibson's Idoru, but they're digital creations.
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