Sophia | The first humanoid robot to receive citizenship of any country @HansonRoboticsLimited

Dr Woblok September 23, 2023

25 18 2 minutes read

#sophiarobot #robotics #ai

Sophia is a social humanoid robot developed by the Hong Kong-based company Hanson Robotics. Sophia was activated on February 14, 2016 and made her first public appearance in mid-March 2016 at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, United States.

A computer vision algorithm processes input from cameras within Sophia’s eyes, giving Sophia visual information on its surroundings. It can follow faces, sustain eye contact, and recognize individuals. It can process speech and have conversations using a natural language subsystem. Around January 2018, Sophia was upgraded with functional legs and the ability to walk. CNBC has commented on Sophia’s “lifelike” skin and its ability to emulate more than 60 facial expressions.

Sophia is conceptually similar to the computer program ELIZA, which was one of the first attempts at simulating a human conversation. The software has been programmed to give pre-written responses to specific questions or phrases, like a chatbot.

Sophia has been covered by media around the globe, and has participated in many high-profile interviews. In October 2017, Sophia was given Saudi Arabian citizenship, and became the first robot to receive citizenship of any country. In November 2017, Sophia was named the United Nations Development Programme’s first Innovation Champion, and is the first non-human to be given a United Nations title.

Sophia is also a framework for cutting edge robotics and AI research, particularly for understanding human-robot interactions and their potential service and entertainment applications. For example, she has been used for research as part of the Loving AI project, which seeks to understand how robots can adapt to users’ needs through intra and interpersonal development.

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