At this point it’s hard to get anyone’s attention anymore by using the sentence “Japan has a new robot.” Everyone is well aware that Japan is building amazing robots for the future. But how about if I said “Japan has debuted a new robot idol”? Bet I have your attention now.
Making her debut last week, HRP-4C (aka Divabot) is more than just your average robot. Developed by Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Divabot is more than just a catchy name. Given a realistic face, this robot can dance better than most Japanese idols I’ve seen. Not only that but thanks to new software, which replaces the Vocaloid software used in previous models, she can sing just as well as industry pros. Need proof? Here’s Divabot with her backup dancers:

You can view the video here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcZJqiUrbnI&feature=player_embedded

When asked about the robots, a member of the institute Shinichiro Nakazawa said 'With the software, we hope to make robots act, sing and even walk on a catwalk during a fashion show. We want to create a new content industry with the technology.”
So what does this all mean for the average geek? Well, we’re yet another step closer to having our pet class lovebots but let’s look at the bigger picture. I know that many people out there have already jumped on the 'bring on the robots’ bandwagon but I’ve yet to be convinced. Japan is making some pretty big strides which could someday replace human workers.
It’s bad enough that soon Customer Service Jobs jobs are slowly going to go to the robots. But now it looks like the entertainment industry isn’t even safe. Did you watch that video? If the robots are capable of doing that right now, what is it going to be like in a decade? Pretty but talentless girls all over the world will be left with no choice but to try and get real jobs. If that happens, equally talentless (but not as pretty) geeks like me are going to be the ones who suffer! Forget Skynet and screw The Matrix, I want to know who’s going to be putting money in my pocket when Divabot creates a whole new rift in the global economy? Don’t say you weren’t warned.
Via:Daily Mail

make sure you watch the video!!!

This one is awesome. Looks like it actually has facial muscles. It does seem to perform them too quickly though.

http://www.geekosystem.com/japanese-robot-with-incredibly-realistic-facial-expressions/

Wow...She looks realistic. Like >>3 said with facial expression. But her Hands are WAYYY to big, And While i don't think she's as close to a real singer as Miku / len Can be. Its a giant step. in the right direction for realism.


But ca we please ahve a robot that rubs my feet?

They spent so much money and time developing a singing robot that I wished they could have spent all that time and energy developing something more useful like iuno, maybe a medical robot that helps doctors know the early onset of cancer for their patients...

The idea of "Idol Robots" takes away the whole concept of what it means to be an "idol". We admire human idol singers and performers because we are drawn to their achievements of becoming a more talented human. We admire them for their hard work and their immense talents. If we start admiring idol robots that can just be pre-programmed into doing all that, then takes away all the appreciation of what it means to be an idol.

That is just my opinion.

I think synthesized voices were made to allow people to create songs without a singer, not to create singers without a person. They've got it all wrong.

As Jearman said, yes, it would have been much better if they used this robot technology for something more important. I'm a fan of vocaloid and all, but I still prefer real singers over them.

If you want a non-human produced sound in music, play an instrument damnit!
This is a step in the wrong direction in my opinion - if this keeps up and it really does replace "real" idols in the media, we're heading for some dystopian shit.

In future, humans might replaced by robots.

I agreed with Misuto.

>>7 In future, humans WILL be replaced by robots.

fix'd that for you

>>6 You seen the Vocaloid concert videos yet? Some people...

she has Hatsune Miku's voice hmm--

someday, they will build a war robot. A WAR will start, human will fight against robots and cyborgs. Human will extinct. -,-"

cool!! and i want to see a robot dance popin'

Not long now till I get my robot waifu.

Eh I have heard of them before in one of my texts books.
すごい. Japan technology is awesome.

Officially creeped. Time of Eve anyone?

this is so old, haha.
i saw a new one on YT,
it look so real.
too real.. <__<

Apparently this is the most advanced AI we've got. Her name's Bina48.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvcQCJpZJH8

>>15 I have watched time of eve. So yeah, it's about us human living with robots. It was good, but the probability that robots may develop feelings just like on the anime is just way too strange and... impossible. Oh well, I liked it and I am amazed at how Japan shows progress in these kind of things.

>>18 Your post reminded me of chobits... xD

>>19 How did my post end up remininding you of chobits? O_o

>>18 I don't know if it's so impossible for robots to develop some sort of feelings. I mean, our brains are just very complicated electrical circuits, so if in a far off future we are able to develop a computer as complex as a human brain who knows what it might do.

Though, the thing with our emotions is that they didn't just pop into existence, they're there for a reason and we developed them over a long period of time to serve certain needs. So if it's a robot with no evolutionary history I can't see any reason it would develop emotions out of nowhere.

It's a fascinating subject haha

>>21 Very true, the only problem is we don't even understand our own brain's electrical impulses well enough to replicate them properly.

that thing is creepy

>>22 Right now, yeah, we still have a long way to go. But it's interesting to study the possibilities. We've come a long way in the last few decades and so the next few are gonna bring about some pretty cool things I think.

I say as technology develops, it a much better thing than having extraterrestrials experimented on or something like that. If that were to happen. XDD

i want one to sit in a chair and take phonecalls and show people offices and where the bathroom is and in case of pedos you add metal chomping teeth in a fake vagg so they say im gona put my thing in this thing and zzzzzzzzzzzzaaaaaa!!!!!! peepee all gone......

damn it looks so real!!!

cool i saw some videos on youtube looks awesome thnx for posting this!

Very Interesting Maybe Soon Android's will live among people. I meen It can sing and dance sooner or later We will make it smart enough to share in conversation.

wow :D amazing^^

Nice. This can be a great alternative to use instead of the fleshlight.

This doesn't amaze me as much as I would like to see a robot fuck as good as a porn star....just sayin... :)