日本新型女機器人會走catwalk

A new walking, talking robot from Japan has a female face that can smile and has trimmed down to 43 kilograms (95 pounds) to make a debut at a fashion show. But it still hasn't cleared safety standards required to share the catwalk with human models.

Developers at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, a government-backed organization, said their "cybernetic human," shown Monday, wasn't ready to help with daily chores or work side by side with people — as many hope robots will be able to do in the future.

"Technologically, it hasn't reached that level," said Hirohisa Hirukawa, one of the robot's developers. "Even as a fashion model, people in the industry told us she was short and had a rather ordinary figure."

For now, the 158 centimeter (62.2 inch) tall black-haired robot code-named HRP-4C — whose predecessor had weighed 58 kilograms (128 pounds) — will mainly serve to draw and entertain crowds.

Developers said the robot may be used in amusement parks or to perform simulations of human movement, as an exercise instructor, for instance.

HRP-4C was designed to look like an average Japanese woman, although its silver-and-black body recalls a space suit. It will appear in a Tokyo fashion show — without any clothes — in a special section just for the robot next week.

The robotic framework for the HRP-4C, without the face and other coverings, will go on sale for about 20 million yen ($200,000) each, and its programming technology will be made public so other people can come up with fun moves for the robot, the scientists said.

Japan boasts one of the leading robotics industries in the world, and the government is pushing to develop the industry as a road to growth.

日本新研製的一款會行走、會說話並且會微笑的高仿真女機器人將首度亮相時裝秀。爲參加時裝秀，它的體重已減至43公斤（合95磅），但仍未達到可以與模特同登T臺的安全標準。

由日本政府資助的國家高級產業科技研究院的研發人員稱，於本週一展示的這款“可控制機器人”還不能像很多人希望的那樣幫忙做家務或與人一起工作。

研發人員比留川博久說：“從技術上來講，還沒達到那麼高的水平。業內人士告訴我們，即使作爲時裝模特，她的身高也不夠，身材也很一般。”

目前這款編號爲HRP-4C、身高158釐米（62.2英寸）的黑頭髮機器人將主要用於吸引和娛樂觀衆。先前的同一款機器人體重達58公斤（128磅）。

研發人員稱，這款機器人可以用於遊樂園，或者讓它來模仿人的活動，例如做健身教練。

HRP-4C機器人的造型看上去就是一個普通的日本女性，不過其銀黑相間的身體會讓人想到航天服。它將於下週亮相東京時裝秀的機器人展示環節——不過不會穿任何時裝。

科學家稱，除去面部和其它覆蓋物，HRP-4C機器人的主體結構將以約兩千萬日圓（20萬美元）出售，此外，研發人員還將公佈其編程技術，以便人們編寫新程序，讓它做出其它有趣的動作。

日本是全世界機器人工業最發達的國家之一，日本政府大力發展機器人產業，以促進經濟增長