A team of researchers in Osaka, looking to learn more about the mechanisms involved with infant development, publicly presented a robot on March 3rd that is designed after human babies. The robot named the M3-neony has learned to crawl on all fours, among other child-like capabilities.
The M3-neony has been under development since 2005 by a team at Osaka University, under the leadership of Professor Minoru Asada, and in conjunction with the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). According to a press release by the JST, the M3-neony has learned movements, such as rolling over, crawling, and using objects to help it stand up, through “body babbling” – a technique where the robot acquires body parts control through initially random movements.
The M3-neony name was originated from the combination of the words [WO]MAN MADE [WO]MAN and neonate, a word that refers to a newborn baby. As the name suggests, the robot is designed to look and to function like a human infant. It has a height of approximately 50cm (~20 inches), and weights about 3.5kg (7.7 lbs). The M3-neony has a head, torso, two arms and two legs. The entire body contains 22 separate motors for movement. The head has two cameras for eyes and two microphones for ears. The torso contains a two-axis gyro and a three-axis accelerometer for balance and posture. The M3-neony also has 90 sensors under its robotic skin to detect touch. If someone places a finger or hand on part of the robot, it will turn its head and look in that direction.
Also on display on March 3rd by the team was another robot named the M3-synchy – after the word synchronize. The M3-synchy is designed to research the development of human communication abilities, particularly eye movement and other non-verbal signals.
Professor Asada commented, “We do not yet understand the mechanism of how humans learn to become able to crawl. We hope to use robots to provide physical evidence of hypotheses, clarifying how humans develop,” according to a report from Sankei News.
Read more news from Japan by the Japan Headlines Examiner
(Alternative M3-neony video clip source at 47news.jp)
Comments
NIHON GO GO!!!! LETS BUILD ATOMU ASAP!!!!! >D 'Course, we might not be too near to making a robot with feelings, but one Japan DOES make a robot with a "Kokoro" program, then they should definitely make a model of my Atomu!!!! <3
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!