Will Jackson, CEO of robotics company Engineered Arts, says he isn’t sure what’s worse: the angry emails that accuse him of building machines that will one day overthrow humanity or the speculative ones enquiring if the sender can fuck the robots.
“Everybody wants to see a humanoid robot,” Jackson says. “They love to imagine all these things that are going to happen. Part of what we do is fulfilling that desire.” (Though not, he is careful to stress, the sex-robot stuff.)
Footage of Engineered Arts’ most recent creation, a gray-skinned bot named Ameca, went viral last December with clips showing an android with an exposed metal torso and eerily realistic facial expressions interacting with researchers. (“Android” being the correct term for a human-shaped robot, from the ancient Greek andro for “man” and eides for “form.”)
In one video, Ameca frowns as an off-screen employee reaches out to touch its nose before smoothly reaching up to stop his arm in a whir of electric motors. It’s an uncanny moment that sets off alarm bells for the viewer: the shock is that a robot would want to establish this boundary between it and us — a desire that is, ironically, very human.
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“Got just a tad scared when it raised its hand to his arm. Thought it was just gonna snap it.” Says another, “I know this is scary, but I love this and I want more.”
It’s these emotions — curiosity, fear, excitement — that are Engineered Arts’ stock-in-trade. The company makes its money selling its robots for entertainment and education. They’re used by academics for research; by marketing teams for publicity stunts; and placed in museums, airports, and malls to welcome visitors. “Anywhere you’ve got a big crowd of people to interact with,” says Jackson.
Read more: The Verge
