Can robots be creative? British art gallery owner Aidan Meller thinks so. He hopes to begin answering this question with a robot called Ai-Da. Meller is overseeing the building of all her parts by engineers at Engineered Arts, a company based in Cornwall, England. The engineers believe the robot will be able to draw pictures of people in sight with a writing instrument in her hand. Meller wants the robot to perform like a human artist.
He spoke to the Reuters News Agency after seeing Ai-Da's head being carefully brought to life by specialists who were connecting individual hairs to form eyebrows. He said, "She's going to actually be drawing and we're hoping to then build technology for her to paint." "But also as a performing artist, she'll be able to engage with audiences and actually get messages across, asking those questions about technology today," he added.
Ai-Da's skeletal robotic head may still be separate from her body, but her movements are very alive. Cameras in each of her eyeballs recognize human body parts. Ai-Da will make eye contact and follow you around the room, opening and closing her mouth as you do. If you get too close, the robot will back away, closing and then opening her eyes as if in shock.
The specialists are using the company's Mesmer lifelike robot technology to create her head. Once finished, Ai-Da will have a mixed-race appearance, with long dark hairs and rubber-like skin made from silicone. The teeth and skin inside her mouth will come from a 3D printer. Marcus Hold, working at Engineered Arts, said, "Mesmer brings together the development of software mechanics and electronics to produce a lifelike face with lifelike gestures in a small human-sized package."
Ai-D- will make her first public appearance at an exhibit called "Unsecured Futures" at the University of Oxford. Some of her pictures are expected to appear at another show in London later.
