Science Fiction Dictionary
A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z

 

WD-2 Face Morphing Robot Could Be Anyone

The Waseda-Docomo face robot 2 (or WD-2) uses a unique technology to alter its expression. The face portion is made of Septom, a highly elastic material.


(WD-2 robot face on a box)

Atsuo Takanishi and colleagues from Waseda University in Tokyo have been working on the WD series since 2003. WD-2 has 17 facial points, for a total of 56 degrees of freedom.


(Waseda Docomo face robot 2 video demonstration)

The shape of the mask is determined by shafts just behind each facial point; driven by a DC motor with a pulley and slide screw, the face changes. Using a 3D scanner-created image of a person's face, Waseda-Docomo face robot 2 can imitate anyone's face.

I'm pretty sure that there were face-morphing robots in science fiction - but I can't remember the reference. Readers are invited to contribute. However, I do recall the Bene Tleilax face dancers who have remarkable powers of mimicry, including altering the structure of their faces.

Update: A reader reminded me about the liquid metal robot from Terminator 2. End update. .

Via WD-2 will show its faces.

Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 9/18/2007)

Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.

| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |

Would you like to contribute a story tip? It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add it here.

Comment/Join discussion ( 6 )

Related News Stories - (" Robotics ")

Proof Of Robothood - Not A Person
'Who are you people? - Show 'em.' - James Cameron (1984).

Dancing Robots Taught Dance Moves
'A clockwork figure would be the thing for you...' Jerome K. Jerome, 1893.

Factory Humanoid Robots Built By Humanoid Robots
'...haven't you a section of the factory where only robot labor is employed?' - Isaac Asimov (1940).

Mornine Sales Robot
'Robot-salesmen were everywhere, gesturing...' - Philip K Dick, 1954.

 

Google
  Web TechNovelgy.com   

Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.

 

 

 

 

Science Fiction Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's   1950's
1960's   1970's
1980's   1990's
2000's   2010's

Current News

Proof Of Robothood - Not A Person
'Who are you people? - Show 'em.'

Dancing Robots Taught Dance Moves
'A clockwork figure would be the thing for you...'

Indonesian Clans Battle
'The observation vehicle was of that peculiar variety used in conveying a large number of people across rough terrain.'

The 'Last Mile' In China Crowded With Delivery Robots
Yes, it's a delivery robot. On wheels.

Tornyol Microdrone Kills Mosquitoes
'The real border was defended by... a swarm of quasi-independent aerostats.'

PLATO Spacecraft, Hunter Of Habitable Planets, Now Ready
'I ... set my automatic astronomical instruments to searching for a habitable planet.'

Factory Humanoid Robots Built By Humanoid Robots
'...haven't you a section of the factory where only robot labor is employed?'

iPhone Air Fulfils Jobs' Promise From 2007 - A Giant Screen!
'... oblongs were all over the floor and surfaces.'

ChatGPT Now Participates in Group Chats
'...the city was their laboratory in human psychology.'

iPhone Pocket All Sold Out!
'A long, strong, slender net...'

Did The Yautja Have These First?
What a marvel of ingenuity the lit­tle device was!

Jetson ONE Air Races Begin, Can Air Polo Be Far Behind?
'If you're one of those rarities who haven't attended a rocket-polo "carnage", let me tell you it's a colorful affair.'

Will Space Stations Have Large Interior Spaces Again?
'They filed clumsily into the battleroom, like children in a swimming pool for the first time, clinging to the handholds along the side.'

Mornine Sales Robot
'Robot-salesmen were everywhere, gesturing...'

Bipedal Robot Floats Gently While Walking
'a walking balloon proceeded with long strides of its aluminum legs...'

Musk Idea Of Cars Talking To Each Other Predicted 70 Years Ago
'My cars talk to one another.'

More SF in the News Stories

More Beyond Technovelgy science news stories

Home | Glossary | Invention Timeline | Category | New | Contact Us | FAQ | Advertise |
Technovelgy.com - where science meets fiction™

Copyright© Technovelgy LLC; all rights reserved.