A Chinese robotics company has unveiled a robotic head with eerily human-like facial expressions and movements. The disembodied face, shown in a video on a workshop table, blinks, looks around, and opens its mouth, astonishing viewers with its realism.
The robot, called the AheadForm Origin M1, is designed for 'research and interaction', according to its maker, AheadForm. It uses 25 tiny motors under synthetic skin to replicate subtle facial twitches and movements, giving it a lifelike appearance. Cameras embedded in its eyes, along with hidden microphones and a speaker, allow it to interact with people.
Social media users were divided in their reactions. Some praised the robot's realism, with one calling it 'an animated video game character come to life' and another saying robotics was 'finally climbing up the other side of uncanny valley'. However, many found the hyper-realistic face disturbing, with one commenter calling it 'man made horrors beyond my comprehension'.
The robot is not currently for sale. AheadForm aims to create 'heads for AI' so that large language models like ChatGPT can interact with people in a more natural setting, potentially for customer service, education, or healthcare.
