Japanese Kissing Robots

Thomas and Jane

 Have you been keeping an eye on the latest trends in the robotics? Then you'd already know that the Japanese innovators have been making a concerted effort to make robot use more mainstream. The good folks have calculated that venturing into the entertainment industry would be the perfect start for such integration. Hence you get the squeaky-limbed fashion robot and the cute little baby robot. But now someone has gone out and tried something completely different.

A research team from National Taiwan University of Science and Technology has created two theatrical robots that are programmed to interact with each other. One is designed as a male robot and is called Thomas while the other goes by the name Jane. Their first performance was in December last year when they reenacted bits of Phantom of the Opera at the educational institute. It didn't matter whether their acting capabilities won over the crowd; the actual highlight of the show was when Thomas leaned in to kiss Jane.

 You read that right. In fact, check out the video which shows a closeup of some robot-to-robot tongue action; do note, the clip was released later this year and is not actually from the theater show.

 The masterminds of the show, and of the whole robot movement in general, are led by engineering professor, Chyi-Yeu Lin. Apparently his team spent 3 years working on each robot's hand-eye co-ordination and interconnected movements that equals to one small gesture in a human. Seems like some movements are pre-programmed while co-ordination between the two robots depended, to some extent, on a remote server.

 Here's what a spokesperson from the institute had to say about their hope for the future [via IEE Spectrum]:

 “We aim to form a group composed of autonomous robots, which are like well-trained versatile performers. They can not only perform different plays, sing songs, or broadcast news, but also interact with real persons appropriately,”