The Asian Reporter Pacific Northwest News q Volume 24 Number 13 q July 7, 2014 q www.asianreporter.com Woman or machine? New robots look creepily human Fukushima farmers appeal with live bull Page 2 ‘Transformers’ shoots for delicate balance Page 4 REALISTIC ROBOT. Android robot Kodomoroid speaks during a press event at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation Miraikan in Tokyo. The lat- est creations from Japanese robotics expert Hiroshi Ishiguro are a female-announcer robot called Otonaroid, a girl called Kodomoroid, and Telenoid, a mannequin head with pointed arms that serves as a cuddly companion. The robots with silicon skin and artificial muscles were shown to reporters at the Miraikan museum. Kodomoroid read the news without stumbling once and regurgitated complex tongue-twisters glibly. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi) By Yuri Kageyama AP Business Writer OKYO — The new robot guides at a Tokyo museum look so eerily human and speak so smoothly they almost outdo people — almost. Japanese robotics expert Hiroshi Ishiguro, an Osaka University professor, says they will be useful for research on how people interact with robots and on what differentiates the person from the machine. “Making androids is about exploring what it means to be human,” he told reporters, “examining the question of what T The maturation of Michelle Wie Page 8 is emotion, what is awareness, what is thinking.” In a demonstration, the remote- controlled machines moved their pink lips in time to a voice-over, twitched their eyebrows, blinked, and swayed their heads from side to side. They stay seated but can move their hands. In a clear triumph, Kodomoroid read the news without stumbling once and recited complex tongue-twisters glibly. The robot, designed with a girlish appearance, can use a variety of voices, such as a deep male voice one minute and a squeaky girly voice the next. The speech can be input by text, giving them perfect Meet Dr. James Chan Your trusted Facial Plastic Surgeon Resource articulation, according to Ishiguro. There were some glitches — such as the lips not moving at all while the robot spoke, or the Otonaroid announcer robot staying silent twice when asked to introduce itself. But glitches are common with robots because they are delicate gadgetry sensitive to their environment. Kodomoroid and the woman robot Otonaroid were joined at the demonstra- tion by the minimally designed Telenoid, a mannequin head with pointed arms that serves as a cuddly companion. The two life-size robots, which have silicon skin and artificial muscles, are on Continued on page 7 Overwhelmed by debt? Want a fresh start? KELLY K. BROWN Specializing in: BANKRUPTCY ATTORNEY s Asian Faces s Asian Eyelid Surgery s Facial Plastic Surgery s Rhinoplasty 503·224·4124 www.kellybrown.com ★ LOW-COST BANKRUPTCY ★ Free consultation ★ Stop foreclosure and garnishment ★ Evening and weekend appointments Look your best! You’ve earned it! 520 SW Yamhill · Suite 420 · Portland 97204 · We are a debt relief agency. We help people file for bankruptcy under the Bankruptcy Code. Call today for a consultation: (503) 953-1230 The Asian Reporter 922 N. Killingsworth St. Portland, OR 97217 USA PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID Portland, OR Permit # 2474 Aimee S. Chang, M.D. Physician & Surgeon Board Certified Infertility Specialist s General Infertility s Reproductive Endocrinology s Recurrent Miscarriage s In vitro fertilization (IVF) s Intrauterine insemination s Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome s Endometriosis s Laparoscopic and Hysteropscopic Surgery 9370 SW Greenburg Road, Suite 412, Portland, OR 97223 Phone: (503) 292-7734 w OregonFertilityInstitute.com SPiLt ink Gallery Acrylic Colour Pencil Graphite Oil Pen & Ink Watercolour Pets w Holidays w Special Occasions w Just for Fun www.spiltinkgallery.com (503) 442-6427