Japanese child-sized robot - 6/18/2007

A child-sized android with flexible joints and soft skin developed by the Japan Science and Technology Agency was unveiled Friday at Osaka University, where the agency’s research and development team is based. The 1.3-meter-tall, 33 kilogram humanoid robot has optical, auditory and tactile sensors. Fifty-one actuators inside its body run on compressed air and enable the robot to make complex movements smoothly. About 200 tactile sensors are embedded in the robot’s gray skin, which is made of silicon and other materials. The robot can react to its surroundings by blinking and altering its facial expressions.