this is both really cool, and (imo) more than a little bit scary. to whit, note that 'Nadine' has been specifically programmed to handle the job of Receptionist. robts like nadine are able to and eventually will, replace human workers in years to come.

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robots don't need health insurance, salaries, or a break from working 24/7. for example, if Nadine were able to transcribe and process basic correspondence, make copies, file, and handle clients' inquiries conceivably she could replace personal assistants everywhere.

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we are witness to both a brave new world and what (in sci fi terms: i.e. terminator, etc.) might potentially be a catastrophic threat to the evolution of the human species

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http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/human-robot-nadine-personality-mood-emotions-unveiled-singapore/story?id=36032196

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Human-Like Robot 'Nadine' Who Has a 'Personality, Mood and Emotions' Unveiled in Singapore

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Scientists at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have unveiled "Nadine," a socially intelligent, human-looking robot complete with "her own personality, mood and emotions," according to a university news release.

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The humanoid "receptionist" was presented at a new media showcase Tuesday at NTU, where her human creator, professor Nadia Thalmann, predicted that "physical social robots such as Nadine are poised to become more visible in offices and homes in future."

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Nadine was created to be a doppelganger of Thalmann, according to NTU's news release, which said the "humanoid" has "soft skin and flowing brunette hair. She smiles when greeting you, looks at you in the eye when talking, and can also shake hands with you."

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The bot "can be happy or sad, depending on the conversation" and she "also has a good memory" with the ability to recognize people she's met and remember what those people have said before, NTU said. The university added that "Nadine is powered by intelligent software similar to Apple’s Siri or Microsoft’s Cortana."

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"As countries worldwide face challenges of an aging population, social robots can be one solution to address the shrinking workforce, become personal companions for children and the elderly at home, and even serve as a platform for healthcare services in future," Thalmann said, according to the NTU news release.

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Nanyang Technological University/Facebook

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PHOTO:Social, human-like robots "Nadine and "EDGAR" were developed by scientists from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.more +

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"This is somewhat like a real companion that is always with you and conscious of what is happening," she added. "So in future, these socially intelligent robots could be like C-3PO, the iconic golden droid from 'Star Wars', with knowledge of language and etiquette."

A video posted to NTU's Facebook page shows Nadine recognizing Thalmann and engaging in conversation with her. The video had over 25,000 views as of this afternoon.

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Another robot named "EDGAR" was also unveiled by NTU, which described him as a "tele-presence robot" that can copy and project the upper-body movements and facial expressions of its human user, deliver speeches by "by autonomously acting out a script," and track "people he meets to engage them in conversation."

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Though hundreds of social media users have made similar comments about the robots being "creepy," "scary," and "potentially dangerous," many experts believe these fears will go away over time as the technology becomes more popularly used.

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"A yew years ago, people's biggest worry about technology was privacy, now it's robots taking over the world," said Carlos Guestrin, a professor of machine larning at the Computer Science & Engineering Department of the University of Washington.

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Guestrin told ABC News that he believes "we're far from developing human-like technology that could have a negative impact" and that as advances in AI in the near future will likely have "a more positive impact."

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"Self-driving vehicles are making vehicles safer, automation and smarter devices are making homes safer," he said. "I think AI, especially those that can see and understand emotions, will be helping us with a wide range of tasks and making a lot of lives better."

[Edited 1/1/16 9:05am]

There go more jobs that people need. Watch the ranks of the homeless swell in years to come...

Yay! Another serious candidate for woman of the year...... move over Caitlyn....meet Nadine. I wonder if she is programmed for sex...like will she have headaches?

StillGotIt said:

Yay! Another serious candidate for woman of the year...... move over Caitlyn....meet Nadine. I wonder if she is programmed for sex...like will she have headaches?

yikes. that's some seriously shallow thinking there boo boo

purplethunder3121 said:

There go more jobs that people need. Watch the ranks of the homeless swell in years to come...

y'know? the article downplays that angle, but it is inevitable, imo

purplethunder3121 said:

There go more jobs that people need. Watch the ranks of the homeless swell in years to come...

y'know? the article downplays that angle, but it is inevitable, imo

morningsong said:

We know it's coming yet still can't imagine it. I'd say when these start becoming receptionist the change will happen quickly.

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it's beginning to affect my industry, the legal/law firm world. now that the courts have gone electronic and *anyone* can upload files/legal documents to the court's website, more and more attorneys are being equipped with voice recognition sofyware and the training necessary to create, format and upload documents to the court without an assistant's help.

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moreover, now that more and more records are available online through easy to use search engines, paralegals are not needed to physically run to the court to do records checks, background checks, etc anymore. i think the end of the day and age of 'office staff' in general is rapidly approaching, if not already upon us. remember all of those AI customer service lines that used to be staffed by real people......?

so where did my comment go? i wasnt joking..i really meant it.

yall folks gettin kinda uptight in here.

still got nuttn butt love for yall

butt still...why the discrimination?

one day youll see that i had a point

these robots gonna replace prostitutes, too

I´d hit it.

but not this one.

she kinda lame looking

I think we´re heading for some serious change....like in that movie Terminator...those robots gon tkae over on eday soon.

XxAxX said:

morningsong said:

We know it's coming yet still can't imagine it. I'd say when these start becoming receptionist the change will happen quickly.

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it's beginning to affect my industry, the legal/law firm world. now that the courts have gone electronic and *anyone* can upload files/legal documents to the court's website, more and more attorneys are being equipped with voice recognition sofyware and the training necessary to create, format and upload documents to the court without an assistant's help.

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moreover, now that more and more records are available online through easy to use search engines, paralegals are not needed to physically run to the court to do records checks, background checks, etc anymore. i think the end of the day and age of 'office staff' in general is rapidly approaching, if not already upon us. remember all of those AI customer service lines that used to be staffed by real people......?

You're right, as a teen I trained as a Data Entry Operator, which was the new hot "easy" thing to train for in it's day, doesn't even exist anymore as a job. I watched a "corp" that I remember being a part of my world as a kid become a ghost town and now completely vanish which dealt in "this new information age".

It's funny how quickly some of the tech changes and how it affects the work environment.

Brought to you by your friends at Cyberdyne!

but what ..NO VAGINA????

luvsexy4all said:

but what ..NO VAGINA????

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i dare you to go to singapore and find out for yourself

XxAxX said:

magnificentSynthesizer said:

magnificentSynthesizer said:

magnificentSynthesizer said:

I hear Ben already has some posting on the org.

Um. And by the last post, i meant robots.