Roboy, the robot boy being created by scientists, is scheduled to be “born” in March 2013. That would make the human-like robot’s arrival come at a cheeky nine months from its creation date.
Engineers at the University of Zurich’s Artificial Intelligence Lab have announced their intent to create a humanoid robot comprised of artificial muscles that can be used as a helper to humans. Roboy is being modeled to resemble a child and engineers hope that the mechanical helper’s future lies with servicing the elderly and sick.
The Daily Mail reports that approximately 40 engineers and 15 partners are currently on board for the project. Backing for the endeavor will come from combination of sources. Professor Rolf Pfeifer, head of the project, said the following:
“Financing the project through sponsorship and crowd funding enables us to implement an extremely ambitious project in an academic environment.”
Engineers are modeling Roboy after humans by giving the robot artificial tendons to drive movement. Typically robots are are built with motors in their joints which gives them a shaky type of movement. A tendon-driven robot should be able to move as gracefully and fluidly as its human counterparts.
Kurzweil writes that because service robots like Roboy share living spaces with their human owners, the team is making user-friendliness and safety a priority. Engineers plan to use “soft robotic” technology in the robot’s creation including a “soft skin” covering, giving it a more gentle interaction with its users.
You can take a peek at Roboy in the following video:
Upon completion of the ambitious project the Artificial Intelligence Lab team plans to debut Roboy at Zurich’s Robots on Tour event in March of 2013.
Meanwhile, you can make Roboy the robot boy your friend when you visit his official Facebook page .
