(SNN)A new type of automaton known as an Actdroid was featured at the Aichi Expo. The automated attendant displayed the ability to greet visitors in four languages. Now the Actdroid is going to take on a larger test of its capabilities.

The Aichi Expo is one of the premier events for the testing of human interaction with automatons.

Started by the NEDO corporation, the Aichi Expo is one of the premier events for the testing of human interaction with automatons. The Expo features everything from a wooly mammoth to robots that may soon be very common around the house or the workplace. In all, there were 65 different types of robots at the event.

The Actdroids were developed by Kokoro Co. with additional voice recognition provided by Advanced Media Inc. When addressed by visitors, the Actdroids, which look like human women, provide useful information assisted by lifelike gestures.

An Actdroid will be given to a random Japanese high school boy.

The expo clears the way for the next step in robotics research, the study of how people react to robots in a real-life setting. Upon its success at the expo, an Actdroid will be given to a random Japanese high school boy, whose parents are working in America. The Actdroid will fulfill all basic domestic needs, such as cooking and cleaning. Eventually it is hoped that the Actdroid will teach the high school boy about courage and love.

But can the love of humans really be replaced by female robots? “We will demonstrate various situations at the Expo," says Hirochika Inoue, inspector general of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. "I hope that will give visitors an opportunity to think about how they want to use robots and what they want robots to do for them. I also hope that in 30 years this expo will be considered the starting point of the practical application of life-assisting robots."

posted by NewsBlog 5000  # Sunday, April 03, 2005