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A robotic mouth might not seem like a must-have extra for a robot, but Japanese researchers say that future human-to-robot communications may depend on such devices. This was just one of many robotic innovations on display at this year's Robotech expo in Tokyo.
This song is usually sung along to a Japanese children's game.
The robot's singing may be disturbing, but definitely hard to ignore.
This singing robot from Kagawa University was one of the highlights at Tokyo's Robotech expo.
It can also recite poetry and say "Thank you" in Japanese.
Its inventor Hideyuki Sawada says that robots need to communicate in a way that comes across as authentic like humans.
A robotic voice-box like this, he says, may provide the answer.
[Hideyuki Sawada, Kagawa University Professor ]:
"This can be part of a robot and so up until now there have been a lot of humanoid robots that have walked around or made gestures, but the voice was always done electronically with speakers. This however uses air to create sounds, it's possible to create a robot that speaks using the exact same method that human beings do."
So instead of lungs, the robot relies on an air pump and a series of automated levers.
The levers connect to a silicone mouth to make single sounds, which can be changed by moving the robots' lips and tongue.
[Hideyuki Sawada, Kagawa University Professor ]:
"For instance, someone who is unable to hear and therefore doesn't have a clear voice, they could look at the movement of this robot and see where they should correct. So this robot can be used as a teaching tool for those who face such disabilities."
Among other highlights of the expo was a robot from Utsunomiya University.
This one is designed to pick strawberries.
It can find the ripe strawberries...
