Thaindian News

Hertfordshire, Aug 12 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Researchers from the Hertfordshire University have made a robot, which can have feelings and also express them. Scientists hope these robots will be able to keep hospitalized children company at any time during the course of their hospital stint.

The robot which is called Nao is created to act and feel like a one year old kid. The machine has also got the capability to get closer to people who treat it well. The team of research scientists that created the machine was drawn from eight universities and robot manufacturers in Europe with representation from the Hatfield based Hertfordshire University.

The robot displays its happiness by spreading its arms for a hug and looks on the ground with its shoulders positioned forward when sad. When scared, the robot cowers and can only be calmed down by gentle strokes.

The robot can get closer to humans depending on how it’s treated and the attention given to it. It’s also powered with cameras to help it sense how people approach it and the treatment meted out to it by people.

Lola Cañamero, who is a computer scientist from the Hertfordshire University, said their aim was to create robots to provide support in daily human activities. He said that, “Our goal was to create companions who can live with people and support them in daily activities. We want them to live socially and emotionally, to become adapted and to do things in the way humans expect them to.”