AP Wire | 02/01/2004 | Giving robots a human face

DALLAS – With her sparkling blue eyes, wispy eyelashes and demure smile, Hertz is the center of attention wherever she goes.

If you’re lucky enough to meet her, try to ignore the tangle of wires slinking from behind her face. If you speak with her, talk slowly and loudly. And no matter what you say, don’t be offended if she looks at you blankly and repeatedly asks, ‘What did you say?’

Hertz isn’t really a she, but rather an it, an animated robot head built in about nine months by self-titled ‘sculptor roboticist’ David Hanson.

Hanson and other robot makers believe social robots will one day serve a variety of functions: tutor, companion, even security guard.

But should they look human?

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