Making of the Geminoid

Movement is of course what sets a robot apart from a doll or wax figure. Even though the exterior of the robot had still to be finished, the first movements were something we all looked forward to.

In the movie below, we have captured the very first time Gemionoid-DK was operated via the computer interface we still use. It was a very emotional moment. The loosely hung jacket disguises the fact that the lower arms of the robot were dismantled at this time. They were literally left to dry. A new layer of cosmetic paint had just been applied.

You can also see that the legs are covered in plastic. This is because Henrik had just finished shaving the robot.

As Julie moves her head and face the robot follows.

The next video is taken the same day. Two things are immediately noticed from this video. Take a look:

First the breathing. It seems a little heavy. That is because the autonomous movements that simulate breathing was programmed to fit Geminoid-F. Since the dimensions of the DK are bigger, the breathing seems exaggerated. The breathing scheme has subsequently been altered to better fit the DK.

Secondly, the smile. The hint of a smile that flashes over the DK instantly triggers a response from the people in the room. They are in fact the design team at Kokoro who have spent large portions of the past year working on the robot. They know full well the mechanical nature of the robot, and it is therefore perhaps even more interesting to wittness their response to the first smile of the robot.

This video has been viewed a lot on YouTube. What people typically fail to realize is the title: Mechanical test. The comments to this video often suggests that this video reflects the final appearance of the Geminoid. This is not the case.

What happens here is that the robot is controlled by a program that forces all actuators into a specific configuration - all at once. One such configuration can be a smile or a frown. The effect in the video is obtained by pushing the buttons rapidly in sequence. This is done to ensure that the mechanical structure can perform all the possible configurations that normal usage will produce.

It is still a funny video :)