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