National New York Times correspondent Amy Harmon sat down recently to talk to the latest darling of the robot set, Bina48, and found the talking head to be life-like and fairly articulate with a range of human expressions as well as some goofy quirks.
Getting mixed reviews, Bina48 looks quite a bit like Bina Rothblatt, largely because her wife, self-made millionaireMartine Rothblatt reportedly commissioned $125,000 for the gynoid head.
The couple are into transhumanism, a sort of digital and genetic back up of human consciousness and the robot head is an obvious offshoot.
Learn more online at LifeNaut and TerasemCentral.org.
It’s not clear why Rothblatt, one of the highest paid executives in the nation’s capital couldn’t spring for more than just a head and part of a torso, but she likely spent a mint on Bina’s hours “talking” to the bot head to teach it the facts of life.
Hardwired into a computer, Bina48 is an engaging robot on a mission, even during the somewhat scripted interview.