A new humanoid was added to Japan's National Science Museum...a humanoid robot, that is. Notably, it has an embedded neural network that allows it to move itself.
Alter, Japan’s latest human android, has 42 pneumatic actuators and a "central pattern generator" that allows the robot to create its own movement patterns based on things like proximity, temperature, and humidity.
It’s still far from having truly human-like movements, but watching it somehow still leaves you with a feeling that Alter is kind of human-like (and more than a little creepy). See it in action below.
Researchers say Alter is an attempt create a robot that can “will” itself to move. The arm movement, head, and posture will adjust and change according to the system's own volition. For example, its torso will shudder if its proximity sensors detect a lot of people nearby.
An antisocial robot?
Alter also sings, but it can sound like it came straight from a horror movie. Researchers may need to work more on that before this robot is ready to break into music production (unless they are intentionally going for the creepy vibe...which they probably are).
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