Aldebaran Robotics' humanoid robot NAO is in use by dozens of universities around the world as a standardized robot platform for research. But could robots replace fictional robots in the movies?
In film, robots are often played by human beings. In Star Wars, the part of C3PO is played by Anthony Daniels. But take a look at this recent "performance" by NAO of the scene from Return of the Jedi in which C3PO tells a story to the Ewoks:
(NAO robot performs as C3PO from Star Wars)
I'm having a bit of trouble finding a really good reference for this idea, but I know there must be one. You can read about synthespians in William Gibson's Idoru, but they're digital creations.
Boy Makes Biomimetic Turtle Robot
't came out into plain view. Darkington glimpsed a slim body and six short legs of articulated dull metal.'
Origin F1 Humanoid Robot's Facial Skin
'I could look down at that face of carefully molded synthetic rubber, tinted the exact shade of the doctor's living flesh.' - Rog Philips, 1950.
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Reflect Orbital Sunlight On Demand
'I don't have to tell you about the seven two-mile-diameter orbital mirrors that circulate around the satellite, making it habitable.'
Boy Makes Biomimetic Turtle Robot
't came out into plain view. Darkington glimpsed a slim body and six short legs of articulated dull metal.'
Elon Musk Wants Data Centers In Space
'Internally it’s made up of millions of components, but the most important ones are the thinking and memory parts of the Mind proper.'
Origin F1 Humanoid Robot's Facial Skin
'I could look down at that face of carefully molded synthetic rubber, tinted the exact shade of the doctor's living flesh.'