Telenoid

Telenoid is a robotic communications device. You connect to the robot over the Internet, and it will transmit your voice and mimic your face and head motions. It's like a mobile phone shaped like an alien.

Creators

Ishiguro Lab and ATR

Year

2010

Country

Japan 🇯🇵

Categories

Features

"It's a little awkward." Video: IDG News

Did you know?

Telenoid was designed by Hiroshi Ishiguro, who also designed the Geminoid robots.

Telenoid is a humanoid robot the size of small child, with a soft torso with a bald head, a doll-like face, and stumps in place of limbs. Its bottom half tapers to a point instead of legs. — Telenoid or Casper the Friendly Ghost? Photo: Hiroshi Ishiguro/Osaka University/ATR

An elderly Asian woman hugs a Telenoid robot while a younger man looks on. — Telenoid gets a hug. Photo: Hiroshi Ishiguro/Osaka University/ATR

History

The Telenoid R1 was created at Osaka University by a team led by Hiroshi Ishiguro. The goal was to design a telepresence robot that could reproduce the voice and movements of a remote operator. Ishiguro is known for his lifelike androids that look like real people, including a robot replica of himself that he named Geminoid HI-1 and a smiling female android called Geminoid F. But the Telenoid is quite different, featuring a minimalistic design. The size of small child, the robot has a soft torso with a bald head, a doll-like face, and stumps in place of limbs. In 2011, Ishiguro unveiled Elfoid, a pocket-size version of the Telenoid that could operate as a cellphone.

Two Telenoid robots with soft flesh-colored torsos and doll-like faces are pressed together. — Telenoid twins. Photo: Hiroshi Ishiguro/Osaka University/ATR

Two robots with soft flesh-colored torsos and doll-like faces are pressed together while held by two men. — Telenoids and humanoids. Photo: Hiroshi Ishiguro/Osaka University/ATR

More Images

Two people look at a mini Telenoid, which fits in the palm of a hand. — Tiny Telenoid = Elfoid. Photo: Hiroshi Ishiguro/Osaka University/ATR

Three views of Elfoid show its skin, plastic shell and circuitboard insides. — A look inside Elfoid. Photo: Hiroshi Ishiguro/Osaka University/ATR

Specs

Overview: Minimal design with body intended to appear either male or female, old or young.
Status: Inactive
Year: 2010
Website: eng.irl.sys.es.osaka-u.ac.jp/robot
Width: 30 cm
Height: 80 cm
Weight: 5 kg
Sensors: Camera, two microphones.
Actuators: Nine servomotors
Degrees of Freedom (DoF): 12 (Eye: 3 DoF x 2; Mouth: 1 DoF; Neck: 3 DoF; Arm: 1 DoF x 2)
Materials: Plastic skull, metal skeleton, urethane foam filling, and silicone or soft vinyl skin.
Compute: On-board ARM7 CPU for motor control. External PC for teleoperation.
Software: Custom teleoperation system
Power: External DC power supply