Schlagwort: Head

Empfehlungen, Tagungen

The Familiar Face of ICSR + Art 2026

The 18th International Conference on Social Robotics (ICSR + Art 2026) took place in London from July 1–4, bringing together researchers, academics, and industry professionals from around the world to explore the latest advances in social robotics. As in previous years, the conference featured an extensive and impressive exhibition showcasing a wide range of social robots and related technologies. In addition to the official exhibits, some attendees and guests brought their own robots to demonstrate and discuss with other participants. Among the robots on display were Furhat, Euclid, Ameca, LOVOT, Qoobo, and Mirumi, illustrating the remarkable diversity of current approaches to social robotics. One particularly noteworthy platform was Furhat, a robotic head whose facial features – including the eyes, mouth, and facial expressions – are projected onto interchangeable face masks from within. These masks are available in a variety of designs, representing adults, children, and even animals. This projection-based approach enables highly convincing facial expressions without relying on complex motorized mechanisms or conventional displays. The robotic head is connected to a large language model, allowing it to engage in sophisticated conversations while demonstrating extensive knowledge across a wide range of topics. Furhat can also be customized with accessories such as wigs and hats, providing a simple yet effective form of robot enhancement that further expands its expressive capabilities. Further information is available at icsr2026.uk.

Fig.: Furhat at ICSR + Art 2026

Diskussionen, Innovationen

The Robot Head Problem

The last few years have seen the creation of a large number of quadruped and bipedal robots. Many have been inspired by Spot and Atlas from Boston Dynamics. These, in turn, can be traced back to Sparko and Elektro, which became famous around 1940. Atlas paved the way for the so-called general-purpose or universal robots that are now conquering the market, from H1 to Figure 01. They are not yet truly universal, but they are getting there. Most robotic quadrupeds don’t have a real head. A few talented hobbyists have produced their own with a 3D printer. This can be referred to as robot enhancement. Most robotic bipeds have a head that looks creepy or repulsive. This will be a key design problem in the coming years. It may be that people will quickly get used to ugly heads. But it would probably help with adoption and acceptance if the heads were nice to look at and had convincing facial expressions. After the huge technological advances that have been made in recent years, with new approaches to motor skills and the integration of speech models, what is needed most is a change in design.

Fig.: Robot heads can be designed very differently (Image: DALL-E 3)