Robots to the Rescue to Help Those Who Feel Isolated
No girlfriend, no problem. Thanks to four engineers from Gifu University in Japan anyone can experience the intimacy of hand-holding even if they don’t have another human to do it with. The robotic hand will not only interlock fingers but when you squeeze it, it squeezes back and it’s covered in a material that’s meant to mimic “the tenderness of a woman’s hand.”
The creators also added a series of other features to help make the experience more realistic like allowing “sounds of your virtual girlfriend’s steps through your smartphone’s speaker, along with the sounds of her breathing and the gentle rustle of her clothing.” It also emits the smell of women’s shampoo.
While the current design is intended to mimic a girlfriend, it’s a concept that could be easily replicated to mimic a boyfriend.
A virtual partner was not the overall goal of the development team. One of their goals was to help those who are isolated and needing comfort amid the coronavirus pandemic. The team also saw the robot as a way for those who are stuck at home to stay active by getting up and getting out of the house.
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