the humanoid robot 'ameca' reacts to a nose poke like a real person

world’s most advanced humanoid robot

the UK-based robotics firm engineered arts unveils a video, giving a glimpse at its latest AI-driven humanoid robot dubbed ‘ameca’. presented as the world’s most advanced human-shaped robot, ameca reacts to a human waving finger. employing high-resolution cameras for eyes to scan the surrounding area, the robot can respond to the movements of the finger, while with a nose poke it seems to become upset.

‘designed specifically as a platform for development into future robotics technologies, ameca is the perfect humanoid robot platform for human-robot interaction,’ noted the company. as the researcher moves the finger closer to the robot’s face, ameca reacts grabbing the hand and pulling it away.

video still courtesy of engineered arts

ameca’s reaction freaks out its creators

the robot’s creators freaked out with ameca’s reactions as the finger entered its ‘personal space’, but as they said, they get used to it. ameca is available for purchase — through the engineered arts website — or event rental, but at the current stage, the robot can only operate stationary.

in the first video that was revealed, ameca displays some human-like facial expressions like smiling or frowning. as we see in the clip, the robot appears to wake from a nap, showing surprise for its presence. the video closes with a direct peek into the camera, creating a bizarre feeling for the viewers.

‘we focus on bringing you innovative technologies, which are reliable, modular, upgradable, and easy to develop upon. human-like artificial intelligence needs a human-like artificial body (AI x AB). artificial intelligence and machine learning systems can be tested and developed on ameca alongside our powerful tritium robot operating system,’ the firm mentioned at its site.‘reliability is key, and all our robots are built to last in action in the real world, not just in the lab. the modular architecture allows for future upgrades, both physically and software to enhance ameca’s abilities, all without having to fork out for an entire new robot.’