Japanese Scientist Builds Robots That Look Eerily Human

What are androids?

An android is a robot or synthetic organism designed to look and act like a human, especially one with a body having a flesh-like resemblance. Until recently, androids have largely remained within the domain of science fiction, frequently seen in film and television..

Name the three robots Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro has created for the 'Android: What is Human' exhibition? What are their respective roles?

The front runner in this race is Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro who has spent over 20 years trying to build human-like machines. Over the years, the Osaka UniversityRoboticist has released numerous prototypes. However, it is his latest exhibition'Android: What is Human', which opened at Tokyo's National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan), on Tuesday June 24th, that is creating a stir, both nationally and internationally. There names are  Otonaroid (Otano means adult in Japanese) and the juvenile Kodomoroid (Kodomo means child in Japanese)

Why are androids more difficult to build then normal robots?

Android researchers begin by making a complete plaster cast of a human model, right down to the teeth. They then spend hundreds of hours molding and painting the features so that the robot closely resembles the human it is being modeled after. That, is the easy part! Then starts the arduous process of installing the complex machinery and countless hours of programing so that the androids not only replicate human gestures and facial expressions, but also, think like them. It is no wonder that most scientists gravitate towards building 'easier' industrial robots.

Critical Thinking Challenge:

Some people believe android robots are cool. Others think they are a little creepy. What side are you on? Why?

I don't really know because they could help the world by doing stuff we don't have time for but they aren't the prettiest things.