Baby and child robots open eyes on learning

Researchers at Osaka University and the University of Tokyo have developed a pair of robots that replicate the cognitive development of babies and young children.

The team is headed by Hiroshi Ishiguro, an Osaka University professor specializing in perceptual information, and Yasuo Kuniyoshi, a University of Tokyo professor of informatics.

The researchers say the robots will help develop a deeper understanding of how infants and children learn to perceive sound and light.

The "baby" robot, designed with the capabilities of a 9-month-old infant, is 71 centimeters tall and weighs 8 kilograms. Its limbs are designed to recreate movements typically made by human infants.

The "child" robot replicates a 5-year-old. It is 110 cm tall and weighs 27 kg.

Both robots are equipped with motors to replicate body movements, along with sensors that recreate the sense of touch, video cameras that provide "sight" and microphones that pick up sounds.

Sophisticated computer software programs will be installed to mimic the brain functions of a human of the same age.