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She looks just like a human

'Lifelike Siri' robot with 'moods and emotions' could soon be working in your office

The humanoid has been developed with "a personality, moods and emotions " by a team of scientists - and it could soon be coming to a workplace near you.

Nadine has been named after and built in the likeness of her creator Nadine Thalmann and has realistic skin and lifelike hair.

This amazing footage shows the robot interacting in an office environment and the team say they envisage these humanoids being used as PAs in and helping hands at home.

The robot, developed by Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, is powered by intelligence software similar to that used by Apple 's Siri.

They could also be pals for children or companions for the elderly as the creation will have the ability to recognise people, remember conversations - and even become bad tempered, it has been claimed.

The robot is not commercially available, but Thalmann predicted robots could one day be used as companions for people living with dementia.
Prof Thalmann said: "If you leave these people alone they will be going down very quickly. So these people need to always be in interaction."

Nadine can provide conversation, tell a story or play a simple game thanks to the ingenious software.

Thalmann and her team are also working on emotive robots that can play with children. The project is still in the early development stage and no prototype is available yet.

The child robot would be able to respond to questions, display emotions and recognize people.

Aside from being a social companion, the child robot could supervise unattended children and inform a parent or nanny if something went wrong, Thalmann said.
There are plans to program the child robot to speak different languages so that it can serve as an educational tool for children, she said.

Prof Thalmann said: "A child has toys but they are usually passive. This robot will be an active toy which interacts with the child.
"It will be able to remember what the child likes." When asked what its job is, it replies: "I am a social.

The new invention bears chilling similarities to the storyline in this year's sci-fi show Humans on Channel 4. The robot can also be made virtual to appear on a television or computer screen.

Professor Thalmann, an expert in virtual humans, said: "As countries worldwide face challenges of an aging population, social robots can be one solution to address the shrinking workforce, become personal companions for children and the elderly at home, and even serve as a platform for healthcare services in the future."

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