Would you confide in a voice assistant more than your friends? People talk honestly about their emotions to eerie lifelike social robot Furhat precisely because it ISN’T human, creator says
- The robot is a three-dimensional bust with a projection of a human-like face
- It aims to build on our ease talking to voice assistants like Siri and Alexa
- The robot can spur people to engage more honestly, its creator says
- This makes it useful in situations such as screening for health risks where people often lie
Eerie lifelike social robot Furhat exudes empathy and warmth, encouraging people to open up more than they do to friends, its creator claims.
The robot, a three-dimensional bust with a projection of a human-like face, aims to build on our new-found ease talking to voice assistants like Siri and Alexa.
Furhat does this by persuading people to interact with it as if it were a person, picking up on our cues to strike up a rapport.
Yet precisely because it isn’t human, and is therefore free from bias, the robot can spur people to engage more honestly, its creator says, making it useful in situations such as screening for health risks where people often lie.
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The robot (pictured) can spur people to engage more honestly, its creator says, making it useful in situations such as screening for health risks where people often lie
WHAT IS FURHAT?
Furhat is a social robot created by Stockholm-based startup Furhat Robotics.
It weighs just over 7lbs and is essentially a disembodied head with a face projected onto it.
AI allows the device to speak, engage and react to users, while a camera allows it to maintain eye contact.
Furhat can speak more than 30 languages and users can customize its face by swapping out animations.
Currently, the device is being marketed to businesses and organisations.
Stockholm-based Furhat Robotics unveiled its ‘world’s most advanced social robotics and conversational artificial intelligence platform’ last month.
The android can communicate with humans in the way we do with each other – by speaking, listening, showing emotions and reading changes to facial features.
Furhat combines digital assistant technology akin to Alexa or Siri and humanoid robots like SoftBank’s Pepper to create the new era device.
It’s essentially a disembodied head that can be customised with different faces – even characters from the sci-fi film Avatar.
A wide-angle projection system is built into the device, which enables it to display animated faces on the head.
‘We’ve seen research that shows that in certain situations people are more comfortable opening up and talking about difficult issues with a robot than with a human,’ said Samer Al Moubayed, chief executive of Furhat Robotics.
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‘That’s because a robot’s personality can mirror the personality of the person interacting with it and because people don’t feel judged, he added.
The robot has been used in Frankfurt airport as a multi-lingual concierge, helping travellers find their way, but also for customer services training – simulating irate shoppers for example.
The robot, a three-dimensional bust with a projection of a human-like face, aims to build on our new-found ease talking to voice assistants like Siri and Alexa
Science and technology firm Merck and Furhat Robotics unveiled its robot in Stockholm.
The robot will ask people about their health and lifestyle and screen them for risk of diabetes, alcoholism and hypothyroidism.
If necessary, the robot will advise them to go for a blood test or to a doctor.
‘Every robot needs a different personality depending on the job it’s going to do,’ said Mr Moubayed.
Furhat can be male or female, old or young, wisecracking or serious.
‘One of the barriers that robots have had … is the issue with expressivity – being able to move like us, (with) very smooth, very expressive facial movements, eye movements, head movements,’ said Mr Moubayed.
Earlier this month developers left scratching their heads when one test subject completely threw the eerily-lifelike robot.
Stockholm-based Furhat Robotics unveiled its ‘world’s most advanced social robotics and conversational artificial intelligence platform’ last month
The android can communicate with humans in the way we do with each other – by speaking, listening, showing emotions and reading changes to facial features
A Furhat insider said: ‘We were at a loss as to why one of our robots wasn’t interacting properly with a human test subject.
‘It was misreading the subject’s face, much to our bemusement.
‘As it turned out, the test subject had recently had a course of botox therapy – flat foreheads and taut skin can trip up the most advanced technology, it seems.
‘After some software tinkering and readjustment, the robot was able to work around the problem and make up for its social faux pas.
‘But when the robot revolution comes, it might be worth us all stocking up on the botox just in case.’
Each face has its own personalities and quirks ‘like a real human,’ Furhat Robotics says.
‘Furhat is a social robot that communicates with us humans as we do with each other – by speaking, listening, showing emotions and maintaining eye contact,’ the firm explained.
It’s essentially a disembodied head that can be customised with different faces – even characters from the sci-fi film Avatar
A wide-angle projection system is built into the device, which enables it to display animated faces on the head
‘It can serve customers, provide companionship, train employees or teach a language.’
Furhat comes with a range of pre-selected expressions and gestures that can be customized by users.
This is so that when people interact with Furhat, it’s capable of responding and interacting just like a human would.
Regular faces can be projected onto the head, but Furhat Robotics said it also allows users to choose from animal and character faces.
The robot listens, speaks and reacts all while maintaining eye contact with the user, thanks to a camera integrated in the device.
Furhat’s eyebrows move up and down or furrow in confusion, while its mouth is able to arc into a smile or a grimace.
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