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Roboy is a robot designed to look and behave like a human. Scientists at the University of Zurich's Artificial Intelligence lab have given themselves just nine months to build him. He is almost ready to be unveiled in public after all of this hard work. What makes Roboy different then other humanoid robots is the way he moves. He is being developed to walk like a human through the use of what Professor Rolf Pfeifer calls tendon driven technology.
"Traditionally most robots have motors in their joints. But humans don't have motors in their joints and we try to be more realistic in terms of imitating human beings. Humans have bones, joints, muscles and tendons, so this is also called a tendon driven robot," Pfeifer said.
It took six months to build Roboy's torso. Modeled on human anatomy it has a flexible spinal cord. But Roboy will not be confined to a lab scientists envisage a future where automatons like Roboy work in factories or in homes helping the elderly.
"It can be used in a household environment, or in a manufacturing environment. Wherever we cooperate with people and I think this cooperation is very important. The human-robot, human-machine cooperation, providing technology also. We often talk about the aging population, providing technology that will help the people to be autonomous for as long as possible," he said.
At 47 inches tall not only will Roboy move like a human, but he will also be programmed to recognize faces. Several research institutions and private companies are involved in the project. But the team here is looking to the public to raise funds so that Roboy can be brought to life. They are using crowd funding and are offering the chance for companies to have their logos etched on the humanoid's body. Roboy will be unveiled in March at a Robotics Expo in Zurich, where his creators hope he'll put his best foot forward.
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