Some of the world’s leading human and robot minds are heading to the United Nations.
At a UN summit in Geneva next week, luminaries including futurist Ray Kurzweil and DeepMind COO Lila Ibrahim will discuss AI for good. It’s a stellar lineup of speakers, but the real stars in our eyes are in the roster of robots.
Over 50 of the beasts — the majority from Europe — will be in attendance. All of them are worthy of places in your dreams and nightmares, but we’ve narrowed the roster down to a list of our 10 favourites.
1. Sophia
Sophia is arguably the planet’s most famous real-world robot — but it’s also attracted controversy. Saudia Arabia notoriously granted citizenship to the android in 2017, giving it more rights than millions of humans in the country.
Meta’s chief AI scientist, Yann LeCun, has described Sophia as “complete bullshit” and slated the media for promoting the “Potemkin AI.” Nonetheless, the humanoid’s influence and fame earn it a place on our list. Sorry, Yann.
2. Ameca
Ameca’s eerily realistic facial expressions went viral back in 2021. Built in the UK by Engineered Arts, the humanoid is designed as a platform for developing robotics.
The systems integrate both AI and AB (artificial body) within a human form and robotic visage. Ameca’s creators claim it’s the world’s most advanced human-shaped robot.
3. Spot
Unless you’ve been hiding from the AI apocalypse under a rock, you’ll recognise Spot. The star attraction of the esteemed Boston Dynamics brand, the quadruped is primarily used for dangerous inspection jobs.
Despite the cute name and resemblance to a dog, Spot is fairly terrifying. Campaigners have raised fears that the bot will be weaponised — particularly after it was tested by the French Army.
4. Geminoid
Perhaps the creepiest member of our list, Geminoid is a robotic copy of its creator, Hiroshi Ishiguro.
The android reproduces the voice and head movements of Ishiguro, who added hair from his own scalp to his mechanical twin. According to Ishiguro, the robot was designed to study what it means to be human.
5. Nao
A legend in its field, Nao has been wowing onlookers for almost 20 years. The bipedal has attracted headlines for its synchronised dances, stand-up comedy, and soccer skills, but has made its biggest impact in education and research.
The device was developed by Aldebaran Robotics in France, which was acquired by SoftBank in 2015 and rebranded as SoftBank Robotics.
6. Ai-Da
Touted as the “world’s first robot artist,” Ai-Da draws and paints using robotic arms, cameras in its eyes, and algorithms guiding its movements.
The android is something of a celebrity in its home country of the UK, becoming the first robot to speak in the House of Lords. Unfortunately, the publicity stunt feat lost some lustre when Ai-Da appeared to fall asleep and had to be rebooted.
7. Furhat
A social robot, Furhat communities with humans as we do with each other: by speaking, listening, showing emotions, and maintaining eye contact.
We’re particularly impressed by the system’s adaptability. Furhat ethnicity, gender, and language can all be modified to create lifelike, expressive characters for numerous purposes. In the image above, for instance, the droid appears to have resurrected Silvio Berlusconi.
8. Roboclette
Everyone loves a world-first, especially when it’s vital to humanity. That’s why we’re bewitched by Roboclette — the first machine capable of scraping melted cheese.
The system combines the expertise of cheesemaker Eddy Baillifard with robotic wizardry from the Idiap Research Institute to carve a traditional Swiss raclette.
9. Pepper
Another graduate of Aldebaran, Pepper is a semi-humanoid that’s designed to read emotions.
The droid’s remarkable life encompassed work in a grocery store, a stint as a Buddhist priest, and a speech in the British Parliament. Sadly, the good times couldn’t last. In 2021, production of Pepper was halted due to weak demand.
10. Paro Seal
The brainchild of engineer Takanori Shibata, Paro is a therapeutic robot seal. The device has proven popular with patients, although critics have raised concerns about using machines for emotional support.
Paro won a spot in our top 10 after pipping the Therabot puppy to the title of cutest automotons at the UN.
If you want to meet any of the robots attending the event, you can register for a ticket here.