EveR-1

EveR-1 is a female android, developed by a team of South Korea

South Korea

The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

n scientists from the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology in Korea University of Science and Technology. The project is headed by Baeg Moon-hong and was unveiled to the public at Kyoyuk MunHwa HoeKwan in Seoul on May 4, 2003. Its name is derived from the combination of the Biblical "Eve

Eve (Bible)

Eve was, according to the creation of Abrahamic religions, the first woman created by God...

" and the r from robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...

.

EveR-1 is a direct competitor of Actroid, which is being developed by Kokoro Dreams and Osaka University

Osaka University

, or , is a major national university located in Osaka, Japan. It is the sixth oldest university in Japan as the Osaka Prefectural Medical College, and formerly one of the Imperial Universities of Japan...

of Japan, and was unveiled at the International Robot Exhibition

International Robot Exhibition

The International Robot Exhibition is the largest robot trade fair in the world. It is an event that has been staged once every two years in Tokyo, Japan since 1973 and is organized by the Japan Robot Association and the company Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Ltd...

in Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

in 2003. EveR-1 was built in a year at a cost of 300 million won (US$321,000) in state funds.

The creators said the humanoid's face is a composite of two well-known Korean actresses, while the torso is based on a singer, though the names of the celebrities were not revealed. The android weighs 50 kilograms and has a height of 160 centimeters.

The creators also said that EveR-1 can mimic the human emotions of happiness, sadness, anger, and surprise more naturally than its Japanese rival, while using a hydraulic

Hydraulics

Hydraulics is a topic in applied science and engineering dealing with the mechanical properties of liquids. Fluid mechanics provides the theoretical foundation for hydraulics, which focuses on the engineering uses of fluid properties. In fluid power, hydraulics is used for the generation, control,...

system for certain movements. EveR-1 contains a total of 35 miniature motors located throughout its upper body, which enables EveR-1 to move its head, arms, and upper body and even move its lips in synchronization with the robot's speech. Its skin is made of synthetic, pliable silicone

Silicone

Silicones are inert, synthetic compounds with a variety of forms and uses. Typically heat-resistant and rubber-like, they are used in sealants, adhesives, lubricants, medical applications , cookware, and insulation....

jelly that feels similar to human skin.

The android can recognize 400 Korean

Korean language

Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...

and English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

words, allowing it to respond to questions both verbally and through 15 facial expressions: EveR-1 will show displeasure if you poke her. The android also has motion data process sensors

Motion detection

Motion detection is a process of confirming a change in position of an object relative to its surroundings or the change in the surroundings relative to an object. This detection can be achieved by both mechanical and electronic methods...

in its artificial eyes, enabling it to follow people with its eyes and head.

EveR-2

EveR-2 is the successor of EveR-1, which performed at Robot World 2006 in Seoul, has improved vision and ability to express emotions, as well as various other enhancements. Boredom is now an available emotion, along with the usual joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. It sang the Korean ballad "I Will Close My Eyes For You" during the opening ceremony at the Robot World 2006 conference in Seoul, which made it the first android singer.

The android is about 5'7" (170 cm) tall and weighs about 135 pounds (60 kg). Its silicone-covered face has a higher flexibility; 29 motors and dozens of joints provide 23 degrees of freedom for self-expression. In total, EveR-2 has 25 more degrees of freedom than EveR-1. Its improved speech recognition, voice synthesis and gesture expression technology allows for more sophisticated communication and interaction with humans. The small CCD

Charge-coupled device

A charge-coupled device is a device for the movement of electrical charge, usually from within the device to an area where the charge can be manipulated, for example conversion into a digital value. This is achieved by "shifting" the signals between stages within the device one at a time...

cameras of EveR-1 have been upgraded to Wide range Small CCD cameras (90 degrees) for better vision. While the synthetic pliable silicone jelly only covered the face and hand with soft materials of the EveR-1 (while the rest was covered with hard material), EveR-2 has its whole body covered with the soft artificial skin.

Baek Moon-hong envisions educational and entertainment functions for the androids, from providing information in department stores and museums, to reading stories to children.

EveR-3

EveR-3 is the successor of EveR-2, demonstrated in 2009. It is the first model in the EveR series to be mobile, using wheels for locomotion and being dressed in long skirts to hide the wheels. In early 2010 it reportedly appeared in a Korean play called Robot Princess and the Seven Dwarfs which is based on the Snow White

Snow White

"Snow White" is a fairy tale known from many countries in Europe, the best known version being the German one collected by the Brothers Grimm...

story.

Future models

KITECH is currently developing EveR-4. The upgraded female androids are expected to walk, sing, dance, and have "substantially improved intelligence."

A male version is also currently being developed.

EveR-1

EveR-2

EveR-3

Future models

See also