Japanese scientists who created a child-like android which is now capable of 'feeling pain' have said a society where humans live alongside robots is not far off.
The group of scientists from Osaka University, led by Professor Minoru Asada, say they are aiming for a symbiotic society, like in the 1982 movie Blade Runner.
Life-like robots are nothing new, but recent developments from the Osaka team have displayed a robot attempting to 'feel' human suffering.
Prof Asada created 'Affetto', Italian for affection, a human-like head with an artificial in-built pain sensor system which can detect the difference between a soft touch and a harsh blow - giving a corresponding facial expression in response.
Afetto, initially revealed in 2011 with the current model following in 2018, now reacts to electrical charges applied to his synthetic skin and visibly winces with the 'pain'.
'We are embedding a touch and pain nervous system into the robot to make the robot feel pain so that it can understand the touch and pain in others. And if this is possible, we want to see if empathy and morality can emerge,' Prof Asada said.
'We are aiming to construct a symbiotic society with artificially intelligent robots, and a robot that can feel pain is a key component of that society.'
The professor said that the robots could provide emotional and physical assistance to Japan's ageing society.
And asked whether we could end up with a Blade Runner-typed world, Asada, who is also President of the Robotics Society of Japan, said: 'I think we are not far away from that technically, but obviously ethically that is another matter.'
He also said that, in Japan, 'we believe all inanimate objects have a soul,' so 'a metal robot is no different from a human in that respect.'
To develop Affetto, the researchers identified 116 different facial points, and analysed the mechanisms needed to create distinctive facial expressions.
Initially, the researchers encountered issues balancing the applied force and adjusting the synthetic skin to make sure the face was realistic.
However, the team was able to adjust the system and eventually Affetto's face.
Dr Hisashi Ishihara, one of the designers, said 'a more sensitive and expressive body' on a robot is key to the symbiotic society the group predict.
He added that he is certain that humans will one day create robot that are almost indistinguishable from their creators.
The new artificial pain system was presented at this month's American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Seattle.
In August, scientists at the University of Bristol said that life-like robots that can make decisions, adapt to their environment and learn, are one step closer to becoming reality.
The described the concept of soft matter computers (SMCs), which takes inspiration from biology.
It aims to mimic the workings of the vascular system, where hormones such as adrenaline are released into the bloodstream and disperse throughout the body.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
