UNIVERSITY OF PALERMO, PALERMO, ITALY. Researchers are currently “training” the Japanese robot named “Telenoid robot” to mimic simple human movements and sounds. The Telenoid robot was originally developed by the Hiroshi Ishiguro Laboratory in Japan. Once they have successfully trained the robot to learn the new skills, they will then see if it will be capable of complementing vocalizations and movements with its human partner. It will be similar to two singers blending their voices to create harmonic music.
The main idea behind the improvement is to transform the robot into a life-like counterpart that can decide for on its own in certain aspects. In this case, the researchers want to make the robot respond to music like a human. When most humans hear music, they sing along to the tune. They want the Telenoid robot to do the same but in a more technical and professional manner. This idea has already been presented at the International Conference on Artificial Neural Networks in Lausanne, Switzerland just recently.
The project is headed by Antonio Chella at the University of Palermo, Italy. They are aiming to turn the robot into an artificial musician that could actually interpret music in a novel manner. Although the goal is still far from happening anytime soon, the developments are promising. Since the Telenoid robot has already learned to mimic humans and have learned to sing at the same time, it could mean the start of something big.
| Invention | Telenoid |
|---|---|
| Organization | University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy |
| Researcher | Hiroshi Ishiguro, Antonio Chella & Team |
| Field(s) | Robotics, Artificial Neural Network, Artificial Intelligence, Music |
| Further Information | New Scientist |
