Japan’s newest technological marvel has taken the form of “Junco Chihara”, a robot employed at the Aqua City shopping center in Tokyo tasked with helping visitors in a variety of ways, with sexual favors definitely not (yet) being one of them – though likely only a matter of time given some of the other advances Japan has pioneered.
Installed back in October, the well dressed android maiden (developed by Toshiba Corporation) can speak 3 different languages whilst providing inquirers with information on the center’s myriad of services.
Visitors can interact with Junco via a rather innovative touch panel that “floats in mid-air” and requires users to merely “touch” their desired option, although free-form spoken interaction is probably the expected ideal.
A video of Junco in action:
The awe-inspiring technology has made some ponder of the many other possibilities that such robots could offer, with sexual endeavors naturally being a hot topic…
In before feminists bitch about making servant robots that look like females.
They already did a few months ago, Japan obviously didn’t care.
i just love how they keep inventing stuuf to get more people sacked off. soon we won’t even recall the word job. rich people will be served by robots, and the streets of every city will be filled with even more homeless people.
You seem to forget that Japan has an issue with brithrates, there are way more young people needed than they are avaiable.
That’s what always struck me about Chobits — in a world where Persocoms can perform most human functions, how do enough humans have jobs to afford those Persocoms? If there are a few human-only jobs left, the wages would be driven down by intense competition among the vast pool of unemployed workers. (And who’s going to patronize all the robot-run businesses, anyway? The robots?)
Though really, we’ll have to come to terms and decouple work from survival. Hopefully through the political process and the welfare state, because otherwise there’s going to be some pretty nasty uprisings from the “surplus labor” population. And (in)conveniently, the planet can’t take much more of the mindless growth and consumption that modern-day capitalism requires.
That’s what always struck me about Chobits — in a world where Persocoms can perform most human functions, how do enough humans have jobs to afford those Persocoms? If there are a few human-only jobs left, the wages would be driven down by intense competition among the vast pool of unemployed workers. (And who’s going to patronize all the robot-run businesses, anyway? The robots?)
Though really, we’ll have to come to terms and decouple work from survival. Hopefully through the political process and the welfare state, because otherwise there’s going to be some pretty nasty uprisings from the “surplus labor” population. And (in)conveniently, the planet can’t take much more of the mindless growth and consumption that modern-day capitalism requires.
Dey gone took err jerbs!
It’s another step in the right direction but we are still standing at the foot of that Mount Everest called building believable androids. I predict at least 200 years until we have them. With all the philosophical problems for our race that will occour then and which will change the way we see ourselfs as humans. For example can I call myself a good human beeing if I destroy an android that pleads for his life? Programed or not? Or if I program the “3 laws of robotic” into them whats the difference compared to slavery? If they have intelligence some day they will also develope a sense for freedom. So even without a “Skynet” they will have a huge impact on us.
200 years? Are you kidding? Pong is a 44 year old game. FORTY-FOUR YEARS OLD. Look at the incredible development on video games after just 40 years, we’re pushing virtual reality RIGHT NOW. Aside from video games, computer graphics themselves will continue becoming more and more realistic as technology progresses. In 200 years, we’ll be so far with robotics and computers most of us would be more machine than man at that point. We’ll probably have androids that can have a baby form inside them and actually be pregnant with a human child.
you’re seriously underestimating humans.
No, you are underestimating the laws of physics.
A talking mannequin, however helpful, is still just a talking mannequin. You’ve got a long way to go, guys.
We she begins typing RUR repeatedly, worry. Look it up. I am ordering my EMP pulse rifle now.
“When she”