Beautiful Robot Goddess Named Jiajia

STATES CHRONICLE – Robots have been a dream of mankind’s for decades, as clearly showcased by all the science fiction works depicting futures in which robots are fully integrated into our society. While most of those works of fiction involve robots taking over the world or becoming killers, that’s mostly because having a plot about robots just fulfilling their menial tasks would be boring.

And after all, that is what robots are meant to do – fulfill menial tasks. Because why else would we name them after an old Slavonic word for ‘servitude’ if they were not particularly designed to be our servants? Still, regardless of where the word comes from, a team of Chinese scientists developed what is referred to by Chinese internet users as a beautiful robot goddess named Jiajia.

But while the internet is, after all, the internet, they are definitely right about the ‘beautiful’ part. This is because the developers of the robot, researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China, admitted that one of their primary concerns was to make the Jiajia look attractive.

Still, that doesn’t necessarily save you from some of the most obvious uncanny valley signs ever. Aside from the fact that Jiajias’ hands look pretty much like those of a storefront mannequin, her face is still obviously an artificial one; although one much better looking than the one of the previous popular female robot, the highly creepy Scarlet Johansson robot.

The technology is still very impressive, though. Jiajia can make small talk, present a number of accurate facial expressions, move most of its body, and it even knows where in space it has been placed. According to witnesses, she even told a photographer not to take any pictures of her from up close, as it makes her face look fat.

Jiajia took the team about three years to build, and the 5’2” female robot has already hosted a couple of very high-profile technological conferences this year. She chosen for her particularly good looks, as Jiajia was modeled after five women attending the University of Science and Technology of China that were considered exceptionally attractive.

Of course, the researchers led by Chen Xiaoping are now considering their next plans for Jiajia. Replacing her hands, coming up with a way to make her laugh or cry, and giving her facial recognition and deep learning capabilities are just of the items topping the list of improvements the scientists want to bring to Jiajia.

Regardless of how creepy she may currently be because of the effect of the uncanny valley, it’s difficult to deny how impressive Jiajia’s development truly is. She could very well be the first robot to be as fully interacting as the one in fiction, given that the team behind her keep working on relevant developments.

Image source: Daily Mail