I saw a blog on http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/11/index.html entitled: 'Actor Robot Takes Centre Stage in Japan'.
It showcased a robot 'acting' alongside human actors in a Japanese play called Hataraku Watashi (I, Worker) premiered at Osaka University.
As one of the few examples of robot-human interaction on stage, the robots were programmed to speak their lines as they moved about on stage. The robot used was the 'Wakamaru' from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, designed primarily to provide care for the disabled and elderly. It runs Linux operating system, has limited speech and speech recognition abilities.
The play is about a young couple with two housekeeping robots. One of the robots complains about its "demeaning" work and that leads to a discussion about the role of robots in human lives.
It made me think about the rise of the semantic web and computers gaining 'human-like' intelligence. Perhaps it's not too far off before we are seeking to converse with our laptops in the same way as the Wakamaru. Of course with the rise in computers chattering amongst themselves, could us 'the consumers' find ourselves in the same situation as brands are today online? In other words, to be in the flow of conversation we need to ensure 'we' meaningfully engage 'them' in a way that adds both relevance and value!
