WD-2 will show its faces at Wired NextFest
Researchers have designed a robot that not only makes facial expressions, but changes its facial expressions with nearly the minute detail of a human face. While other robots make expressions that mean "happy," "sad," "excited," or "angry," Waseda-Docomo face robot 2 (or WD-2, for short) can make tiny movements to reveal a wide spectrum of meanings.Atsuo Takanishi and colleagues from Waseda University in Tokyo have been working on the WD series since 2003. The researchers' goal is to apply the technology to personal robots, which in the future may serve a multitude of purposes in work and entertainment with humans, and therefore must be able to communicate in a human-like manner.
The engineers explain that, when humans communicate, they gauge each other's mental states by noticing small details of the facial features. These facial features not only reveal what we think and feel, but we also change our facial expressions in response to one another. Currently, robots have been developed to make facial expressions based on emotions, but personal robots of the future must be able to make subtle changes in their expressions when they interact with their human counterparts.
WD-2 is a face robot that changes its facial features by changing specific facial points on a mask, with each point possessing three degrees of freedom. The robot has 17 facial points, for a total of 56 degrees of freedom. WD-2's mask is fabricated with a highly elastic and rigid material called Septom, with bits of steel wool mixed in for added strength.
To make certain points of the face move, a shaft is driven behind the mask at the desired facial point, driven by a DC motor with a simple pulley and a slide screw.
The researchers can also modify the shape of the mask based on actual human faces. To "copy" a face, a 3D scanner determines the locations of an individual's 17 facial points, which are then driven into position using a laptop and 56 motor control boards. The researchers add that the robot can even display an individual's hair style and skin color when a photo of their face is projected onto the 3D mask.
Watch WD-2 on YouTube:
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