Meet Fred. (He’s the one on the right.) Fred is a remarkably lifelike robot—one of many being built by Engineered Arts, a company in England.
Most robots today perform simple, repetitive tasks, like vacuuming your home or putting together parts in factories. But Fred is different. The technology inside his head, such as computer processors, cameras, and gears, enables him to see and respond to the world around him. Fred’s software, or programming, allows him to maintain eye contact with people, estimate their age, and even recognize facial cues. That means he can tell if a person is feeling emotions like happiness, anger, or surprise.
Most of Engineered Arts’ robots are designed to entertain. They’re used at tourist attractions worldwide, such as Madame Tussauds wax museums. Some, like Fred, have also been used in scientific studies. One experiment involved testing how people respond to different kinds of robots. How would you react if you were to spend time with a robot like Fred?