Robot Bride

Robot Bride

I knew she looked familiar – it's HRP-4C from a few months ago. Remember her? She strutted her cogs and curves at her unveiling at the Japanese National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science? If I didn't know any better I would say that the petite robot has seen a bit of the world and is all ready to take the next big step – get married!

Or something to that effect. She's not quite ready but seems like someone has made the perfect wedding dress for her. The moment in question is, strangely enough, her moment of fame at the catwalk where she sauntered down the path in a designer wedding dress. The dress itself was designed by Yumi Katsura who must be quite proud of such a crossover. After all, she is playing a part in the gradual introduction of robots into our everyday life.

It is interesting to note that a bridal gown was chosen as part of her fashion debut. At first I figured something more modern and relevant to youth culture would have worked better. But then, that would be missing the point, wouldn't it? The point isn't to introduce robots as another consumable good. The robot creators seem to aim for assimilation or co-existence to a certain extent. Well, that's what a lot of hardcore robotics engineers are going for. If that was the case, a wedding dress certainly adds a human touch to a robot face.

Will it be domestic bliss for HRP-4C though? I don't think so. Since her initial introduction to the world in the early months of 2009, there was talk of her joining the models or entertainment industry. Looks like this is her first big step. Give it a few more years and we just might have good old Data on one of our airplanes.