As a human-like robot, Ameca stunned festival-goers at the Cornwall Festival of Tech with its impressive lifelike appearance and interaction. The robot, the newest work from Falmouth-based Engineered Arts, was making its normal debut to the public Tuesday at the Art of Life – Art and Science festival. What makes Ameca remarkable are its deep learning facial expressions and body language. This humanoid robot will help improve artificial intelligence and help humans communicate more effectively.
Ameca’s creators at Cornwall-based Engineered Arts designed the robot to mimic human-adjacent features. The foot-long robot employs mechanical muscle structures to build realistic expressions and movements. These civil rights movements speak loudly and clearly, with purpose and meaning. Will Jackson of Engineered Arts noted impressive capabilities of the robot to make it interactive. You’re nodding your head, you’re making eye contact, your eyebrows go up, I can read a thousand words into every little gesture—boop!
The festival was the first time that the general public could see Ameca in person and up close. Having about 250 attendees on campus, Ameca was one of the star attractions. With its human-like hands and emotive facial features, it mesmerized the crowds. They ignited controversy, mostly juxtaposing the positive reactions, with some people finding it “a little bit disconcerting.”
Engineered Arts created Ameca to be as human-like in appearance as possible. It can do so in a way that’s highly relatable and authentic to people. Will Jackson elaborated on this vision by saying, "If we can bring that kind of capability to a robot it would make our communication so much more human-like, so that's the idea."
Ameca has also previously wowed audiences on stages at events around the globe during the creative-technology intersection’s global boom. At the Cornwall Festival of Tech, it was featured in a sold-out session titled "Ameca: A Robot's Journey to Creation" at Truro College. This presence cemented its place in history as a technological wonder. It fostered academic engagement and artistic expression, inspiring innovation and imagination towards the future of humanoid robots and AI.