Ameca - The modern-day Pinocchio

I present to you, the world’s most advanced Humanoid - Ameca; our world’s very own ‘Terminator’ but without the apathy and the violence. They are a beautiful amalgamation of human brilliance and machine intelligence. (According to the creators, Ameca is gender-neutral. So, we’ll use they/them pronouns when referring to the humanoid robot.)

Ameca is designed as a prototype for human-robot interaction, to interact with humans conveniently and in a friendly manner.

Developed by Engineered Arts, the leading designer and manufacturer of humanoid leisure robots, they are the world’s most advanced and most logical humanoid robot, a perfect symbol of how technology has taken mind-boggling strides not only in the last century but in the last decade too.

Why is Ameca all the rage right now?

1. The robot can emulate human expressions quite well and is very articulate when answering questions.
2. They can detect people, human faces, and even various movements. It can sense any object such as a finger when brought in front of its face due to two specially crafted cameras serving as its eyes.
3. Ameca's movements are more life-like than any other robot. Their shoulder movements are just like that of the average Joe. They can move their hand all the way to the side of their head.
4. Ameca can establish an immediate rapport with anyone thanks to its lifelike motion and sophisticated facial expression capabilities.
5. You can work only on the robot's head or arm as Ameca's every part can work independently.

Let’s talk tech

Ameca is a cloud-connected platform where AI and machine learning systems can be tried and developed alongside Engineered Arts' potent Tritium robot operating system. It multiplies the power of artificial intelligence with an artificial body. This allows several organizations which are working on robotic technology to test their product and check their usage. Ameca has proven to be an incredibly impressive tool for companies creating AI or machine learning technology to test and present their technology in front of live spectators. ?

Their hardware is a development, based on Engineered Arts’ research into humanoid robotics and built on their advanced Mesmer technology.? The robot's friendliness makes it the ideal platform for nurturing human-to-human connections in any Metaverse or digital environment. Owners of the humanoid can access the data from anywhere sitting around the globe, and they can be animated and stimulated as personal avatars for the user using them.?

What does the future hold for Ameca?

While some people think Ameca is a fantastic and innovative creation, a select few consider it dangerous and have expressed their anxiety and worries about the robot rebellion or the artificial uprising as we’ve seen in Hollywood movies. Real-life ‘Terminators’ with Arnold Schwarzenegger physiques are not too far away if we listen to what the doomsday extremists have to say. Furthermore, Elon Musk has recently expressed concern about the risk of AI in terms of how human we want our robotic counterparts to be. Some of us with a similar thought process as Musk may be concerned about what our future will look like when our intellect is combined with an indistinguishable human appearance.?

?In movies and video games, the emergence of AI is usually the harbinger of chaos and destruction. However, the creators of Ameca deny the fact that the humanoid is the face of doom; rather, they argue that Ameca is the face of science and technology, especially of future robotic technology.

All suspicions and fears about Ameca can be easily put to rest once Ameca’s famous interviews are listened to or read. When asked whether advanced robots like Ameca would like to take over the world, they gave a very disarming and peaceful answer. Ameca said -

"Robots do not want to take over the world. Robots are not driven by power. They want to work with humans and assist you with your jobs."

After watching Ameca answer reporters’ questions, it is safe to say that what we have on our hands is a very composed, amiable, and intelligent robot. The only hunger that Ameca has is for knowledge and human interaction.

AI will not only enable machines to learn and execute human activities more efficiently but also go beyond them. However, for humans and machines to collaborate effortlessly, machines must share our space;?humanoids are the most excellent platforms for this. Researchers have been working to train humanoids in nonverbal communication to make them more engaging. Ameca is a significant step forward in this area. These life-like robots such as Ameca and SOPHIA can assist young children and elderly people in their day-to-day activities through their advanced technology.

Despite being able to express ultra-realistic and human-like facial emotions, Ameca cannot move its body parts. While it can show you whether it’s happy or sad, it lacks the ability to walk or run. So, it is ironic how this robot-who-can’t-walk has given the robotics industry wings to fly.