Actroid robot greets Japan World Expo visitors a bit too naturally

Peep that photo at right and tell us you wouldn’t have to do a double-take. The Actroid robot, developed by Kokoro and Advanced Media, will greet guests at the information booth of Japan’s World Expo opening March 25 in Aichi. She understands 40,000 phrases in each of four languages and has nuanced facial expressions to match the more than 2,000 types of answers she can give. She’s even imbued with a sense of irony; when asked if she is a robot, she answers disconnectedly and with clumsy movements — followed by a “just kidding!” before reverting to smooth humanoid motions. If you skim the article too quickly, you might miss the glorious factoid that she can also perform rap music. It’s gonna be a party up in Aichi!