Geminoid HI

A man and his robot twin lean their heads against each other, with similar expressions on their faces. — Will the real Hiroshi Ishiguro please stand up? Photo: Makoto Ishida

Geminoid HI-1 is an android copy of its creator, Hiroshi Ishiguro. It reproduces the voice and head movements of Ishiguro (or another operator) and is intended to study what it means to be human.

Creators

Ishiguro Lab, ATR, and Kokoro

Year

2006

Country

Japan 🇯🇵

Categories

Features

Ishiguro introduces his android. Video: ATR

Did you know?

Strands of hair from Hiroshi Ishiguro's scalp were used on his android twin.

The robot and its inventor pose with their faces next to each other to show how alike they look. — Hiroshi Ishiguro poses with his robot twin. Photo: Osaka University/ATR/Kokoro

A man with headphones on looks at several video screens on a wall in front of him. — Hiroshi Ishiguro teleoperates his Geminoid. Photo: Osaka University/ATR/Kokoro

Audio

Hiroshi Ishiguro describes how the Geminoid lets him be in two places at the same time.

Photo: Osaka University

History

In 2006, Japanese animatronics firm Kokoro and Hiroshi Ishiguro, a researcher at ATR and a professor at Osaka University, unveiled Geminoid HI-1, an android designed to look like Ishiguro himself. Ishiguro constructed his mechanical doppelgänger using "silicone rubber, pneumatic actuators, powerful electronics, and hair from his own scalp." Ishiguro and his collaborators use the robot as a tool to study human-robot interaction. They have since built five generations of the android. The latest model, Geminoid HI-5, received major upgrades, but its appearance hasn't changed: With dark hair, furrowed brows, eyeglasses, and dark clothing, it remains an unmistakable copy of Ishiguro.

The robot and the man sit at a table together as if having a conversation. — "You're my favorite human." Photo: Osaka University/ATR/Kokoro

The roboticist and robot sit side by side in chairs with their legs crossed, arms on lap, and heads facing down. — Seeing double. Photo: Osaka University/ATR/Kokoro

More Images

A man stands over a robot male slumped on a chair. — It's hard work being a robot. Photo: Makoto Ishida

The robots head, with glasses, a mop of black hair, and an expressive face, is seen on a tabletop.. — Nothing to see here - just Geminoid HI-5 hanging out. Photo: Osaka University/ATR/Kokoro

Specs

Overview: Capable of performing breathing and blinking movements autonomously.
Status: Inactive
Year: 2006
Website: eng.irl.sys.es.osaka-u.ac.jp/robot
Width: 100 cm
Height: 140 cm (sitting posture)
Weight: 60 kg
Sensors: Tactile sensors
Actuators: 50 pneumatic actuators
Degrees of Freedom (DoF): 50 (Head: 13 DoF; Torso: 15 DoF; Arms and legs: 22 DoF)
Materials: Silicone rubber for skin. Fiber-reinforced plastic for skull. Metal and plastic for internal frame and mechanisms. Urethane foam for shape support. Natural and synthetic hair.
Compute: External teleoperation control unit and air valve system
Software: Windows OS. Custom robot control and teleoperation software.
Power: External air compressor
Cost: $1 million