(Phys.org) —Robots as military gear haulers? Got it. Assembly line handlers? Got it. Waiters for the elderly? Check. Stand-up comics? Huh? A new role for robots may be trending, with the recent performance at the Barbican Center in London of RoboThespian. This machine actually got some laughs. The robot's looks are not at all clownish. Though described as a humanoid robot, the machine comic looks quite mechanical, with its square eyes at least passing the uncanny valley hurdle. Nonetheless, the robot told jokes that were well received. The performance was the idea of Pat Healey, professor of human interaction and head of the school's Cognitive Science Group, and Kleomenis Katevas, doctoral candidate, both at Queen Mary University of London. They planned the performance of RoboThespian, which is a robot designed by Engineered Arts of Cornwall in the UK.
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