Can robots be creative? British art gallery owner Aidan Meller thinks so. He hopes to begin answering that question with a robot called Ai-Da. Meller is watching the building of all Ai-Da's parts by engineers at Engineered Arts, a company based in Cornwall, England. The engineers believe the robot will be able to make pictures of people from sight with a writing instrument in her hand. Meller wants the robot to perform like a human artist.
After seeing Ai-Da's head being carefully brought to life by specialists who were connecting individual hairs to form eyebrows, Meller said, "She's going to actually be drawing and we're hoping to then build technology for her to paint. " But also as a performing artist, "she'll be able to communicate with audiences and actually get messages across, asking those questions about technology today," he added.
Ai-Da's robotic head may still be separate from her body, but her movements are very alive. Cameras in each of her eyeballs recognize human body parts. Ai-Da will make eye contact and follow you around the room, opening and closing her mouth as you do. If you get too close, the robot will back away, closing and then opening her eyes as if in shock.
The specialists are using the company's Mesmer lifelike robot technology to create her head. Once finished, Ai-Da will have a mixed-race appearance, with long dark hair and man made skin. The teeth and skin inside her mouth will come from a 3-D printer. Marcus Hold works at Engineered Arts. He said Mesmer "brings together the development of software mechanics and electronics to produce a lifelike face with lifelike gestures in a small human sized package."
Ai-Da will make her first public appearance at an exhibition called "Unsecured Futures" at the University of Oxford. Some of her pictures are expected to appear at another show in London later this year.
1. How will Ai-Da do when you get very close to her? ______
A. Keep still.
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B. Step back.
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C. Run away.
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D. Speak aloud.
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2. Which of the following is Ai-Da good at? ______
A. Taking care of the old.
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B. Communicating with persons.
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C. Doing housework.
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D. Making up like humans.
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3. What may be the best title for the text? ______
A. Ai-Da, a Creative Robot
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B. Meller, a Great Engineer
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C. Ai-Da Makes Painting Easier
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D. Meller Helps Robot Cleverer
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