Ameca humanoid robot with amazingly realistic facial expressions using technical art is out

A British robotics company called Engineered Arts has released the first videos of its new humanoid robot, which can create surreal facial expressions. That’s quite an impressive achievement in the robotics world; It also happens to be absolutely terrifying.

Dubbed Ameca, the robot’s face has eyes, cheeks, mouth and forehead that shrink and change shape to express emotions ranging from amazement to surprise to happiness. One of Ameca’s new videos shows it waking up and seemingly beginning to grasp its own existence for the first time.

Ameca, which its creators call “the world’s most advanced humanoid robot,” is designed to help scientists and engineers research and improve human-robot interactions. Reading facial cues is an important part of how humans connect with each other, and humanoid robots are thought to be tasked with working in environments such as healthcare and hospitality. It would be easier to accept if they could see and communicate like humans. The company plans to show off more Ameca at CES 2022 in Las Vegas in January.

Despite looking and standing like a human and being able to move around her arms, Ameca still doesn’t know how to walk. Engineered Arts plans to change that as soon as possible. It may just be a matter of time before you catch Ameca walking down the street one day, waving and making uncomfortable eye contact with you.