Add 'baby robot' to be born

US scientists are about to launch a robot that simulates the capabilities of a 1-year-old baby.

Anyone who has ever seen 'The Robot Biology Robot' (CB2), created by experts from Osaka University (Japan), will not be surprised at its vibrancy. American researchers are preparing to launch a similar robot called Diego-san.

Robot Diego-san and 'father' Javier Movellan - Photo: CNET

The 1-year-old Diego-san was developed by Javier Movellan, a professor at the University of California, San Diego, with technical assistance from Kokoro (Japan). This robot is designed to study how children interact with the outside world during their first year of life. In addition, specialists also want to study how infants receive and practice the ability to use nonverbal communication, such as gestures and facial expressions. According to Professor Movellan, Diego-san has a height of over 1.35 meters and weighs over 30 kg. Diego does not speak but can gesture and express his emotions on the face.

According to the design, Diego-san has about 60 moving parts, of which 20 are located on the face (so that Diego-san's head is big). This little boy showed more emotions than the robot named Actroid created by Osaka University in 2006. He could also stand up from a chair and grasp objects. Diego is equipped with high resolution cameras in the eye and sensor devices in the ears to identify direction and movement, along with the built-in sound of the mouth. The pressure sensor allows the robot to recognize the load on the joints. In addition, this robot boy has a very human hug.

Currently, Diego-san's face is still in production (the rubber face in the photo is only the first prototype). Researchers are still debating whether the Diego-san robot should have a human face or a 'machine' look.