On February 18th, newspapers around
the country and the world heralded the unveiling of
a robotic face that can mimic virtually any human expression.
Created by UTD doctoral student and former Disney Imagineer
designer David Hanson, the feminine face is modeled
after Hanson’s lab partner Kristen Nelson and
named “K-bot” in her honor. K-bot is much
more than a pretty face, however. K-bot’s eyes
are actually cameras that can follow human activity.
A total of twenty-four actuators control facial, mouth,
and eye movement. A remarkably human-like textured skin
that Hanson has dubbed “f’ubber” covers
the metallic and wired internal structure. Although
it cost a mere $400 dollars to build, this robot did
not have to be expensive to cause quite an uproar in
the scientific community. In an interview with Steve
Connor of the Independent, Hanson said: "In terms
of complexity and expense incurred, K-bot is not the
most expensive in the world. But in terms of the sophistication
of what it is capable of doing, it is the most advanced."
Of
course, there have been robotic faces of various types
for many years. But K-bot’s technology is new
in a number of ways. Speaking to Alan Boyle of MSNBC,
Hanson explained: “The main difference is the
intelligence — putting the ability to socialize
in these devices, to make the appropriate social facial
expressions, to recognize facial expressions in real
time,” he said. Hanson defines intelligence as
an individual’s ability to adapt his responses
to an often-unpredictable environment, Boyle reported.
What applications does Hanson envision for his creation?
There are a variety of practical, medical uses he finds
completely realistic. One primary use might be to help
autistic people learn to interpret facial expressions,
a problem which is frequently associated with the disorder.
Hanson told Tim Radford of the Guardian that intelligent
robots may one day be able to assist the disabled, and
to this end, he presented a challenge to the world engineering
community: “Make a robotic arm that could
arm wrestle with humans - and win. An arm like that,
connected to the brain, could make disabled people very
capable."
--Jamie Wheeler
Maryam
Baig
Maryam
Baig is an Art and Performance major at UTD in the
School of Arts and Humanities and will receive her
B.A. in May of 2003. Twenty-six years old, Maryam
was born in Karachi, Pakistan and grew up in Pakistan
and Islamabad. She has two younger sisters who remain
in Pakistan with her parents. Maryam moved to the
United States in 1998. Her first language is Urdu.
In addition to Urdu and English, Maryam also speaks
other provincial Pakistani languages and "a bit
of Persian."
A veteran of many theater performances
and visual performance art shows here on campus and
elsewhere, Maryam shares some professional and personal
insights about her life in the arts and beyond...
Interviewer:
Do you have a favorite performance?
Maryam:
As far as theatre goes, I'd have to say "Puck"
in "A Midsummer Night's Dream," but I also loved being
"Bananas" in this year's production of "The
House of Blue Leaves." In visual art, "Baby Doesn't
Know," in which I collaborated with Micki
Saba and Greg Metz.
Interviewer:
Any onstage embarrassing moments you'd like to share?
Maryam:
Geez, every moment in front of people is embarrassing.
You hope they'll forget and forgive.
Interviewer:
Do you have a mentor here on campus?
Maryam:
Many! Because
of the interdisciplinary program here at UTD, I've
had a chance to work with lots of talented people.
To name a few: Fred
Curchack, Greg
Metz, Robert
Nelson, Micki Saba,
and Fred Turner
(*Interviewers note: Maryam insists that this list
be in alphabetical order. " It is impossible to weigh
them against one another", she says)
Interviewer:
If you could invite any three people (alive or dead)
to a "Fantasy Dinner Party," who would they be?
Maryam:
Dave Hickey, for sure (he's a art critic/artist),
William Kendridge (an "animated artist" with political
content), Wim Wender (a director), and Sadquein (a
Pakistani visual artist).
Interviewer:
I said three.
Maryam:
It's my Fantasy
Dinner Party and I want four.
Interviewer:
All right. I'll see if I can get that arranged for
you right away.
Interviewer:
Here's the infamous Desert Island Question. What three
CD's would you want with you if you were only allowed
to salvage three from a shipwreck?
Maryam:
The Soundtrack from Until the End of the World,
a Tori Amos Compliation, Tina Sani compilation, a Nayyara
Noor compilation and some David Byrne.... and....
Interviewer:
Maryam, you are going to die at sea trying to haul
all those CD's to shore.... Three! Three only!
Maryam:
No! I can't decide...
Interviewer:
Okay, last question. Seriously. What advice would
you give new students at UTD?
Maryam:
Talk to your advisor. Talk to you professors. Don't
be afraid to ask questions. You're here to learn and
they are here to teach. Asking questions is the way
to get smarter.
-Interviewed April 14, 2003 by Jamie Wheeler
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