Hug a heart
30 July 2008
One of the first robots to react emotionally to people visited the Antenna gallery this summer. It captivated children and adults alike. 'Heart' is a flexible robotic puppet covered with sensors, allowing it to respond like a person to human interaction. Antenna gets up close and personal with Heart...
Holly from the Antenna team plays with Heart.
Image: Jennie Hills/Science Museum
Heart enjoys being cuddled and stroked; its body will relax and go limp. However, if you shake it or shout, its heartbeat rises and its body tenses, just like a person.
David McGoran, creator of Heart, in the Antenna gallery.
Image: Jennie Hills/Science Museum
'If scientists put human characteristics into robots they're much easier for us to relate to. However, this raises really interesting social and ethical questions; for example, if we see robots as more human-like, will we come to see ourselves as more robot-like?' David McGoran, creator of Heart, Bristol Robotics Laboratory |