While the march of technological progress is no doubt benefiting us all in terms of creating a global village where we’re never more than a keystroke away from virtual chatter with another human being, the interfaces for these interactions often lack a personable, human form. But as technology continues to advance and our devices—like our beloved smartphones—grow ever smarter, they will eventually become mini AI devices. It’s feasible that future android phones will actually be androids, not just a name for the OS.
Perhaps the first awkward lurch towards that reality is the latest portable device from researchers at Japan’s Osaka University. Developed by disturbing-robot specialist Hiroshi Ishiguro, director of Osaka University’s Intelligent Robotics Laboratory, in collaboration with mobile technology companies NTT Docomo and Qualcomm, comes a humanoid mobile phone called Elfoid P1. The device is a working mobile phone in the shape of a human being, which contains speakers at the side of its head, control buttons embedded in its chest, LEDs that flash blue when the phone is in use and red when on standby, and a microphone in its feet. Designed to recreate the physical presence of a remote caller, the user will supposedly transpose the caller’s identity on this ghostly, androgynous figure.
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The Elfoid P1 is the latest in a series of telepresence research projects involving humanoid robots to come out of Osaka in recent years. Previously, they were creeping the world out with their “minimalist humanoid robot,” the Telenoid R1, which is a humanoid receptacle for long distance conversations where the Telenoid R1 transmits the “presence” of the person you are conversing with by replicating their movements (captured via a webcam). And while the initial versions of the Elfoid P1 don’t feature the motion capabilities of the Telenoid R1, future releases—which they hope will be in about 5 years time—will. Meaning, they’ll be able to reproduce the movements of the person you’re talking to in real-time.
If you think talking to someone using video phoning can be a little disorientating, imagine conversing through an object shaped like a fetus in a crucifixion pose. When people spoke of a future where robots would benefit mankind, we’re willing to bet no one mentioned portable automatons that splutter and twitch while you listen to your friends recount their weekend escapades.
And as if our mechanical future wasn’t looking skin-crawling enough, it looks like realistic robotic features have taken a turn for the goatee. Henrik Scharfe, from Denmark, has created a robot clone Geminoid DK, which follows in the robot steps of Hiroshi Ishiguro’s Geminoids HI-1 and the female version F. Geminoids, which the Elfoid P1 will eventually be a crude mobile version of, mimic the facial expressions of their human masters. This is the first one to be created outside of Japan.
