Communications of the ACM
Meet Charles, the Robot That'll Make You Want to Smile
Cambridge University Gates Scholar Andra Adams, shown with Charles the robot, is investigating "the possibility of using Charles as a social partner for children on the autism spectrum."
Credit: Gates Cambridge
Dozens of Cambridge University labs and lecture rooms staged events for the Cambridge Science Festival. One of the highlights was a robotic head that mimics facial expressions, created by Cambridge University's Computer Laboratory. Called Charles, the robot can imitate more than 400 expressions, and people who visited the lab sat in front of a computer, made faces, and watched Charles copy their facial expressions. Computer Laboratory scientists developed Charles as part of a research project involving human emotions.
Researchers in the lab also demonstrated a mobile phone application that detects the speech patterns and emotions of its user. Moreover, they discussed how computers will play a key role in measuring the achievements of athletes at the London 2012 Olympics this summer.
The Institute of Manufacturing demonstrated robots and lasers, and gave the public a chance to fire lasers at mini-rockets and move them along a track. Microsoft Research also opened up its science lab and put some of its current projects on display.
From Cambridge News
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