Update July 14, 2011: much better video now available (please see below).
We’re one step closer to the Robocalypse: a research team at Japan’s Kagawa University has developed a robot that’s able to “speak” like a human being. While talking robots are not new by any means, this model isn’t using software but a set of mechanical, human-like vocal organs, for example artificial vocal chords or a tongue and lips that are made of silicone.
The key element to make the robot speak like a human is an air compressor: the robot uses a set of pressure and control valves, eight resonance motors, and a resonance tube (the throat) to convert airflow into sounds. Those sounds are then recorded via a mic, collected and passed on to be processed by a computer to make them as human-like as possible.
Update: new (and much better) video of the robot from Diginfonews:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmSYnOvEueo]
Here’s a short video of the robot in action:
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYM17Wj3jWE&w=560&h=349]
Here’s a longer one:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ls7oW9CRc0c&w=560&h=349]
Via Japan Trends and Akihabara News
