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Big in Japan -- Baby Simulator

yotaro-baby-simulator-sz-121809.jpg Forget flower sacks and eggs, the new way to teach kids (and adults) about the responsibilities of parenthood is with a robotic baby simulator. Creeeeeepy!

 
 

Japan's University of Tsukuba has built a baby terminator, er, simulator that mimics all the needs of a baby via an interactive screen. The display emotes as a baby would with real tears, wailing, and the occasional newborn joy.

baby-simulator-sz-121809.jpg The project's site is in Japanese so we're not entirely sure how this thing works, but from the diagram above it looks like an infrared camera detects your presence, while a small projector below the baby's head beams the little one's face on some kind of silicone-like material that acts as the baby's skin.

Motorized cushions underneath a blanket work as the baby's limbs which move around when touched or to play out the accompanying arm flailing that comes when a baby is happy or upset.

There's even a water supply tank to shed actual liquid tears on the kid's "face". We're not sure if the warm water tank is to circulate warm water through the baby's "body" so it actually feels like a warm and cuddly creature or if it's for the tears.

Check out the video below for the full creepy effect. Would you ever bring this into your home?

via Dvice

(Image: University of Tsukuba)

Tags

Look!, personal health, concept, simulator, simulation

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Comments (2)

Reminds me of that OLD OLD movie Z.P.G (Zero Population Growth)...also containing creepy robotic babies.

posted by Slippintrippn84 on December 18th 2009 at 11:35am
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Why is the baby so gigantic?

It's face way bigger than the child that is being held near it. And I'm guessing that child is slightly older than the age that this baby sim is going for. Seriously...it's like way obese.

posted by wunami on December 19th 2009 at 9:14pm
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