Umm, yeah. So, I came across this video of technicians fitting a silicone face onto a humanoid robot, and yikes. The process looks straightforward, but there’s something off about it, not in the creepy-uncanny-valley type of off but in the type where Westworld meets the west. It drifts into thoughts of sci-fi novels I’ve read, where machines mimic humans so well you forget the wiring underneath, but then reality snaps back with the robot’s stiff movements.
The responses to the post show both amazement and discomfort because people describe it as creepy while others use Terminator to warn about potential dangers. The first example shows Tesla’s Optimus performing charades which appears as a simple parlor trick that has reached a revolutionary level. The recent advancements bring hope for elder care and dangerous work environments because they produce robots which resemble humans and people find trustworthy despite their slightly robotic nature.
The artists who create these faces remain unknown to me as they use silicone to build expressions which resemble those of modern Pygmalions but they work with electronic circuits instead of stone. The actual business potential stands as the main focus because robots which do not frighten people will enable both manufacturing and service industry operations. The technology would create an unexpected social impact which would change how people interact with artificial intelligence systems.
The system represents an improvement from previous versions although it lacks the dystopian elements which fans of the previous version would have wanted. Scientists will discover new knowledge which exceeds their present understanding because robots with human-like design will start to appear in public spaces.
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