The “Heart Robot” was created by David McGoran from the University of the West of England. The robot shows dynamic human emotions and it relaxes when someone strokes or cuddles it.
Instead of just mechanical parts, this “Heart Robot” is a puppet-like robot. It responds to sound, light and movement and reacts with eye movements, change in heart beats and breathing.
The robot is made of soft plastic and wrapped in cotton fabric. The robot has a central nervous system made up of five computers and motors through which it is able to move its hands and eyelids. It also controls its heart beat, beating faster or slower depending on its stress level. A cuddling activity relaxes the robot and its heart beat slows in response.
David McGoran told the
BBC:
“We are hoping that people will feel an emotion in response to the robot and that this will inspire them to find out more about robotics.”
This robot is rudimentary for now, but it holds a lot of promise.
Also, the video above shows a spider-like robot made by Matt Denton of Micromagic Systems. This robot is able to recognize faces and moves accordingly. Both robots were displayed at the London Science Museum until July 31.
For more information about Heart Robot, visit their site
here.
