I, Robot, the 2004 science fiction starring Will Smith, began trending online after a video featuring a real-life, humanoid robot went viral.
A video of the robot, shared by outlets like Barstool Sports, began making the rounds on Twitter, with users comparing its hyper-realistic movements and facial expressions to the androids like Alan Tudyk's Sonny in I, Robot. Developed by Engineered Arts, the robot's name is Ameca, and has been dubbed by the company as "the future face of robotics."
According to Engineered Arts, Ameca is "the world's most advanced human-shaped robot," designed specifically for "human-robot interaction" and built to last in the real world. Ameca's "smooth, lifelike motion and advanced facial expressions," which are featured in the video, are developed so Ameca can interact as naturally as possible with humans, as well as in the digital realm. Ameca can even be controlled via Engineered Arts cloud software, Tritium, and is designed to serve as an avatar to take someone's place in the real world if needed.
Inspired by the Isaac Asimov short story collection of the same name, I, Robot was directed by Alex Proyas and written by Jeff Vintar and Akiva Goldsman. Premiering in 2004, the film takes place in the year 2035, where highly intelligent robots fill public service jobs throughout the world. The film follows Smith's Detective Del Spooner as he attempts to solve the murder of U.S. Robotics founder, played by James Cromwell, believing that the founder was murdered by one of the human-like robots (Tudyk) he invented.
While Ameca's eery, human-like gestures have caused Twitter users to panic, this is not the first instance of real-life tech companies attempting to bring science fiction to life. Earlier this year, Elon Musk announced the Tesla Bot, an AI humanoid robot made from the same technology as the Tesla vehicle. While the Tesla Bot is nowhere near as life-like as Ameca, its function is similar in the sense that in can exist in the real world, designed to perform basic tasks like getting groceries or changing a tire.
"What is economy? It is, at the foundation, it is labor," Musk said, positing that the bots would inevitably be added to the global workforce. "What happens when there is no shortage of labor?"
While the Tesla Bot will not be available for purchase until 2022, Ameca is currently available for purchase or event rental, as are the company's Mesmer and RoboThespian robots.
Source: Twitter, Engineered Arts