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Robots Will Do Interpretive Dances to Your Dream Recordings

Posted On: 18 February 2008 By: Jay Oatway Filed Under: Robot Revolt | Transhuman Horizons

Robot companions are always looking for new ways to entertain us — lest we grow tired of their antics and banish them to the junk-heap hell of Furbies, Aibos and Tamagotchis.  The newest trick is to "play-back" your dreams in a little dance routine called "Sleep Waking" [via WMMNA]:

How does Sleep Waking work exactly?

I spent a night at The Albany Regional Sleep Disorder Center in Albany, NY. There they wired me up with a variety of sensors, recording everything from EEG to EKG to eye positioning data. We then took that data and interpreted it…

…Periods of high activity (REM) where associated with dynamic behaviors (flying, scared, etc.) and low activity with more subtle ones (gesturing, looking around, etc.). The "behaviors" the robot demonstrates [in the video] are some of the actions I might do (along with everyone else) in a dream.

What do you think the robot can bring to our understanding of possible human-robot relationships?

Taking a wider view, robots are increasingly used to augment human experience. From robotic prosthetic devices, personalized web presences, and implanted RFID chips, technology is moving from being an externalized tool, to being a literal extension of who we are. By giving an example of and drawing attention to this process, we hope to give people the opportunity to think critically what personalized technology actually means.

The future is living a dream.

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