SKorea's dancing robot can also tackle the chores

This handout combination of pictures released by the Korea Institute of Science and Technology(KIST) shows Mahru, a new robot, dancing in the institute's showroom in Seoul. The robot can move its lips, eyebrows and even pupils freely to make faces and can emit two kinds of fragrances to match its emotions.

South Korean researchers said Monday they have developed a robot which can dance and get emotional when it's not tackling the chores.

Mahru can move its lips, eyebrows and even pupils freely to make faces and can emit two kinds of fragrances to match its emotions. It can move upper body parts freely while walking on its legs.

The robot was developed by a research team at the state-funded Korea Institute of Science and Technology.

"Mahru, which can dance while walking on its legs, was developed as a humanoid robot capable of working in place of a human," team leader You Bum-Jae said in a statement.

"It will open the way for the commercial use of humanoid robots doing housework."

Mahru is programmed to follow various human movements through an advanced motion capture system, he said, adding it can move its hands freely to cope with any interference or obstacles.

You said his team has also developed a variant Mahru-M robot with sensors which can differentiate faces and objects and deliver things to humans on request.

However, Mahru-M uses a tricycle wheel system to move about.

Š 2008 AFP

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