TELENOID R1: NO NO NO NO NO

There must be a fundamental perceptual difference when it comes to robots in Japan (as opposed to robots in the rest of the world), because there seems to be a tendency there to at times more or less totally ignore the whole Uncanny Valley issue that we get so hung up on around here. Take Telenoid R1, for example:

Maybe it’s just me, but that robot has horror movie written all over it.

The idea behind the design of Telenoid R1 makes a lot of sense: the robot is intended for remote telepresence and communication, and as such, it’s supposed to distill a human form into just the essential communicative elements. So, you’ve got a face that’s intended to be featureless and asexual, stumpy little arm things, and a soft torso with no legs. But like, even though it makes sense from a rather academic point of view, you’ve still got to take a few steps back and say, “okay, but does this really work for people?”

Telenoid R1 comes from Hiroshi Ishiguro, whom you probably remember for his not quite as creepy Geminoid F. Inside, it’s got 9 actuators that will mimic the arm, face, and head motions of the user who’s communicating through the robot (via a motion-capture webcam). I’m not sure, though, that the Telenoid R1 will actually enable users to “feel as if an acquaintance in the distance is next to you” as the developers assert… But in any case, it is going on sale: expect to pay $34k for the research version, and $8k for a general purpose version.

Video, after the jump.

[ Telenoid ] VIA [ IEEE ] and [ Robonoble ]