A Perfect Female Companion: Project Aiko

She has the ability to identify objects placed before her. She is equipped with a sensor which allows her to signal pain or annoyance. If you squeeze her cheeks or other parts of her anatomy she will tell you, "That hurts or stop touching me."

Video: Aiko at Ontario Science Center: November 22-23, 2008

Aiko has the ability to talk and interact with humans with 13,000 sentence at her disposal. She has can be programmed to recognize intruders and immediately switch to a defense mode. If it is raining outdoors, she will bring you an umbrella. Aiko is a dream girl, but her inventor Le Trung envisions a day when Aiko clones can be used as security in airports and other public places, assistants for house-bound disabled people, the elderly and as office assistants.

Aside from Aiko's lovely appearance, Le Trung's biggest claim to fame is the technology. He combined his innovative 'Brain' technology by programming in C# and Basic which constantly updates. The 'Brain' software controls speech, reading, math, vision, colors, hearing, automation and sensors. She is a work in progress with the best yet to come.

Video: Aiko's Smaller Hand: August 25, 2008

Additionally, the software can control Robot kits like Kondo KHR2 through voice activation, automation and basic recognition. Uniquely, the 'Brain' software is designed to interact with Aiko's environment, process the data, and record it in the internal memory. When the internal memory reaches full capacity, the synthesized data can be transferred into the server data base. The result is an evolving data base that can be shared and used by future Aiko clones.

Le Trung has maxed out his personal funding and credit lines to create Aiko. Project Aiko has made the rounds with the press and public trade shows. The latest interview with a CNN reporter demonstrated the lighter side of Aiko. Aiko demonstrated her sight recognition features by recognizing the difference between a coca cola product and water and distinguishing food. While the public events thus far have been geared to attract public attention, the genius behind the 'Brain' technology and its future is astounding.

The human applications for incorporating Aiko clones to assist sight-impaired and multi-modal impaired humans is almost limitless. Le Trung estimates Aiko clones can be mass-produced for $15,000 to $17,000 USD. At first blush, this amount may seem pricey, until you factor in the cost of a 24/7 human caregiver or security assistant.

For more information about Project Aiko, See: Project Aiko

© 2008 PhysOrg.com