RICHARDSON
, Texas ( Nov. 14, 2003 ) – K-Bot may be the most sophisticated robot head ever developed. Its builder,
David Hanson, a graduate student at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) who has garnered international
acclaim for his work, has placed cameras behind the robot’s eyes that can follow movements, and he
has employed an advanced software system to control the motors under K-Bot’s polymer skin that allows
the robot to sneer, smile, frown and squint.
Hanson, whose research focuses on developing natural,
human-like facial expressions in robots – a trait that will become increasingly important as humans
and robots begin to have more face-to-face interaction in the coming years — will discuss K-Bot’s
future and the future of social robotics in general on Thursday, Nov. 20, at 5:30 p.m., in Room 1.112
of the Conference Center on the UTD campus. Hanson’s presentation, entitled “Breathe! How Science
and Bio-Inspired Engineering and Art Will Bring Synthetic Humans to Life,” is free and open
to the public. A reception will follow.
“Hanson’s work is just one example of the amazing
results from research interaction between arts and engineering,” said Dr. Da Hsuan Feng, vice
president of research and graduate education at UTD. “This type of interdisciplinary research
can impact a variety of different fields, from defense to entertainment. Collaboration with the arts
and hard sciences is critical in a successful research institution, and the results can be simply
revolutionary.”
K-Bot was shown at the American Association for the
Advancement of Science in February and received accolades for the variety and accuracy of its expressions.
Before coming to UTD, Hanson worked for Walt Disney Imagineering, where he developed artificial muscles
as part of the group building autonomous walking robots.
Science Magazine has dubbed Hanson “the head of
his class” in sociable robotics development.
About
UTD
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart
of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls
about 13,700 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities
in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral
degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university’s web site at www.utdallas.edu.