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Robot Cell Phone Makes Gestures, Won’t Fit In Your Pocket

Writing by Evan Ackerman on Friday, 7 of May , 2010 at 12:29 am

Gestures are a very effective way for robots to communicate, since they don’t require speech and generally translate well across different cultures. Gestures also serve to emphasize emotion (in both humans and robots), and that’s what this cell phone with servo arms and legs uses them for. The robot is named Callo, and it’s able to translate text message emoticons into both facial expressions (on its LCD) and movement. Callo’s creators, Ji-Dong Yim and Chris Shaw from Simon Fraser University’s School of Interactive Arts and Technology, envision Callo being able to do things like physically emote for you in a video chat, sort of like the MeBot robot we took a look at back in March.

Of course, having bulky servo arms and legs probably isn’t the most practical thing for a cell phone, but the researchers are hoping to extend the concept to other personal electronics, like GPS systems, to a point where the devices can “interactively communicate with people and build long-term intimacy with them.” Sounds great, but I can just imagine my GPS screenpalming itself when I miss two turns in a row and then walking off my dashboard and jumping out the window after I ask it how to get from Berkeley to San Francisco without paying tolls.

[ IAT ] VIA [ Physorg ]

Comments (5)

Category: Pop Culture,Research

5 Comments

Comment by Stan Smith

Made Monday, 17 of May , 2010 at 8:04 am

Is this an Android phone?

Comment by Esme Fisher

Made Monday, 12 of July , 2010 at 7:55 pm

i am sort of obsessed with the latest cellphones on the market and i am always on the lookout,’”

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Waiting for your next post!!

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From the folks who brought you OhGizmo.com, BotJunkie obsessively chronicles Man's inevitable descent into cybernetic slavery.

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