Portal:Robotics/Featured article/10

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An Actroid is a humanoid robot with strong graphic human-likeness developed by Osaka University and manufactured by Kokoro Company Ltd. It was first unveiled at the 2003 International Robot Exposition in Tokyo, Japan. The Actroid is a pioneer example of a real machine similar to imagined machines called by the science fiction terms android or gynoid. It can mimic such lifelike functions as blinking, speaking, and breathing. The "Repliee" models are interactive robots with the ability to recognise and process speech and respond in kind.

Internal sensors allow Actroid models to react with a natural appearance by way of air actuators placed at many points of articulation in the upper body. So far, movement in the lower body is limited. The operation of the robot's sensory system in tandem with its air powered movements make it quick enough to react to or fend off intrusive motions, such as a slap or a poke. Artificial intelligence possessed by the android give it the ability to react differently to more gentle kinds of touch, such as a pat on the arm.