Story Tools: PRINT | Text Size: S M L XL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACK

Home-made robot maid raises questions

Thursday, December 11, 2008 | 01:16 PM ET

by Paul Jay, CBC News.ca

It's hard to know what to make of Aiko, the robot helper dressed as an Anime teenager that has received a truckload of press in the past few days.

Brampton, Ont. programmer Trung Le garnered international attention after UK tabloids reported on Aiko as his "robot girlfriend." The 33-year old Trung said he has racked up $21,000 in credit card bills and spent over a year work on his project. Both The Globe and Mail and The Toronto Star visited also visited Trung, who told the Star the five-foot-tall robot with the hourglass figure was "not really my girlfriend."

"Aiko's a robot who can do a lot of things, and hopefully more soon," he told the Star.

As to what exactly Aiko can do is up for interpretation, depending on how convincing you find Trung's videos of her interactions, though he told the Star the robot can can speak about 13,000 sentences in Japanese and English.

I'm a bit skeptical myself, but not being an expert in the field I asked UBC professor Alan Mackworth, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Artificial Intelligence and is the past president of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, about what he thought.

After checking out the links, Mackworth said everything Trung claims Aiko can do is "do-able within the state of the art."

"What is not clear without testing the robot is its flexibility to cope with a wide range of visual and spoken inputs. Is it preprogrammed just to cope with a few cases? So I confess to being skeptical," he said in an e-mail.

Putting aside his skepticism though, Mackworth said he is nonetheless encouraged "to see an independent inventor experimenting with these techniques."

"AI and robotics technology is advanced enough now that garage entrepreneurs can do interesting things on their own," he said.

Trung's Quixotic pursuit reminds me on some level of the work of Troy Hurtubise, who's bear-protection suit was immortalized in the documentary Project Grizzly and who, the last we heard, was building a suit of body armour reminiscent of the garb of choice of Halo's Master Chief.

But if he wants to distance himself from the "robot girlfriend" accusations, perhaps Trung might consider toning down the wish-fulfillment fantasies he outlines on his website. Under a list of future tasks he would like to program Aiko to perform, he includes "feed me sushi", "massage my shoulders and neck" and "If I lie my head down on Aiko lap, have her clean my ears with a Q-tip."

For a story short on details, that still qualifies as "too much information."

« Previous Post | Main | Next Post »

This discussion is now Open. Submit your Comment.

Comments

Chris

Ottawa

I'm not sure how much was 'original' and how much of the demo 'canned', but nevertheless, it is a remarkable achievement for one person and not much money.

I hope it leads to him being hired by a company with an R&D department, or some form of partnership/investment $, so we can see what he can really do.

Posted December 15, 2008 12:25 PM

Chris

Vancouver

It's a joke. The thing can't move feet. It's not more than a bad taste toy.

Posted December 20, 2008 04:42 PM

Dave

Canada

Hey Chris, he constructed a robot and you can't even contruct a proper sentence. You are the joke.

Posted January 1, 2009 02:10 AM

« Previous Post | Main | Next Post »

Post a Comment

Disclaimer:

Note: By submitting your comments you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that due to the volume of e-mails we receive, not all comments will be published, and those that are published will not be edited. But all will be carefully read, considered and appreciated.

Note: Due to volume there will be a delay before your comment is processed. Your comment will go through even if you leave this page immediately afterwards.

Privacy Policy | Submissions Policy

Story Tools: PRINT | Text Size: S M L XL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACK

World »

new More than 90 killed in central Syria, activists say
Activists have raised the number of those reportedly killed by regime forces in a district of central Syria to more than 90.
new Ex-Mubarak PM vows not to recreate old regime
The last prime minister of ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is denying claims that he's trying to recreate the old regime.
analysis What a Greek euro exit could mean for Canada
A tumultuous Greek exit from the eurozone would have a harder impact on Canada's economy than the credit crisis recession of 2008 and 2009, a report from a major Canadian bank warns.
more »

Canada »

Aylmer triple stabbing leads to first-degree murder charges video audio
The estranged partner of a young mother who was stabbed to death along with her parents at their home in Aylmer, Que., has been charged with first-degree murder Friday.
Canada ending 'Buffalo shuffle' for visas, closing consulate
The federal government is shutting the Canadian consulate in Buffalo less than two years after costly renovations, while dropping a requirement for visas to be renewed outside the country, CBC News has learned.
Wildfires, high winds put northeastern Ontario on alert audio
It's going to be a tense weekend in northeastern Ontario where strong, shifting winds have been fuelling a forest fire that has blanketed the Timmins area with smoke and ash.
more »

Politics »

Dunderdale calls lack of EI consultation 'disturbing' video
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Kathy Dunderdale says the federal government's planned overhaul of the employment insurance regime shows it is out of touch with unemployed Canadians.
Ottawa moves to limit foreign investment reviews video
The federal government is raising to $1 billion the amount of foreign money that can go into a Canadian company before the investment is reviewed. The review has been used in the past to block foreign takeovers of MDA and Potash Corp.
Canada ending 'Buffalo shuffle' for visas, closing consulate
The federal government is shutting the Canadian consulate in Buffalo less than two years after costly renovations, while dropping a requirement for visas to be renewed outside the country, CBC News has learned.
more »

Health »

Chronic fatigue may be reversed with exercise
Taking it easy is not the best treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome, rather exercise and behaviour therapy are, a large study finds.
AT&T buys T-Mobile USA for $39B US
AT&T Inc. said Sunday it will buy T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom AG in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $39 billion US, becoming the largest cellphone company in the U.S.
Milky Way home to 50 billion planets: NASA
Scientists have compiled the first cosmic census of planets in our galaxy: at least 50 billion planets are estimated to call the Milky Way home.
more »

Arts & Entertainment»

video Gay characters' screen presence evolves video
New films and TV shows are addressing a new frontier in pop culture: gay characters whose narratives aren't limited to 'coming-out stories,' Deana Sumanac reports.
Modern and traditional art scores at Joyner auction
Both traditional and modern works fared well at Joyner Waddington's spring art auction in Toronto, with buyers snapping up lots by Group of Seven members as well as more contemporary artists.
Prophetic Cosmopolis premieres at Cannes video
David Cronenberg says he didn't anticipate the Occupy Wall Street movement as he prepared to shoot Cosmopolis, his new film which made its world premiere Friday at the Cannes Film Festival in southern France.
more »

Technology & Science »

Unloading of docked SpaceX capsule to start Saturday video
The privately bankrolled SpaceX Dragon capsule made a historic arrival at the International Space Station on Friday, and astronauts will begin unloading some of the 544 kilograms of food, water, clothing and other supplies its carrying starting Saturday.
South Africa, Australia to share world's largest telescope
South Africa and Australia will jointly host the Square Kilometre Array, which promises to be the world's largest telescope, the international consortium in charge of the project said Friday.
Bonavista, N.L., 'coyote' was really wolf, tests confirm
Wolves have not been seen in Newfoundland since around 1930 and were believed to have been hunted to extinction on the island, but genetic tests have confirmed that an 82-pound animal shot on the Bonavista Peninsula in March was, in fact, a wolf.
more »

Money »

analysis What a Greek euro exit could mean for Canada
A tumultuous Greek exit from the eurozone would have a harder impact on Canada's economy than the credit crisis recession of 2008 and 2009, a report from a major Canadian bank warns.
Bankia asks Spain for €19B video
The board of directors of Spain's troubled bank, Bankia, has asked the Spanish government for €19 billion ($24.5 billion Cdn) in financial support.
EI reforms aim to boost employment, Flaherty says
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty defended his government's proposals to change employment insurance, saying the aim is to remove "disincentives to employment."
more »

Consumer Life »

Honda recalls Fit subcompacts
Honda Canada says it will recall 14,640 of its 2009 and 2010 Fit subcompact cars to replace lost motion springs.
U.S. travel fee proposal criticized by Harper
Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he doesn't think much of a new border tax that's being proposed by the United States, calling it a cash grab designed to help a budget crisis.
Bell class action suit approved by Que. court
A Quebec Superior Court judge has authorized a class action lawsuit to go ahead against Bell Mobility.
more »

Sports »

Scores: NHL NBA

All the hockey finals are final: Friday night recap
In what may have been an unprecedented happening, the matchups for the Stanley Cup, Calder Cup and Memorial Cup were all locked in on the same night as a result of Friday's ice sheet results.
Henrique's OT goal sends Devils into Stanley Cup final video
The New Jersey Devils will vie for a potential fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history after defeating the New York Rangers in six games in the Eastern final, courtesy of rookie Adam Henrique's goal early in overtime.
video Scott Russell goes 1-on-1 with Jacques Rogge
CBC Sports Weekend host Scott Russell goes one-on-one with IOC president Jacques Rogge and asks him about Canada and Quebec City's enthusiasm for the Olympics.
more »

Diversions »

[an error occurred while processing this directive]
more »