3rd December 2021

World's most advanced humanoid robot is revealed

Engineered Arts has provided a sneak preview of its latest robot, Ameca, which it claims is the most advanced android ever built. The machine will be on display at CES 2022.

Founded in 2005, Engineered Arts is a UK-based company that designs and manufacturers humanoid entertainment robots. Its first machine, RoboThespian, appeared on stage at the Eden Project in Cornwall. Since then, the company has installed more than 100 robots at exhibitions, science centres, theme parks and other venues worldwide. Over the years, its robots have evolved to have more realistic human movements and ways of interacting with people.

Ameca, seen briefly in the video below, is the newest addition to the line-up – described as "the world's most advanced human shaped robot, representing the forefront of human-robotics technology."

Its features include advanced facial expression capabilities and motions that are noticeably smoother and more natural looking than previous generations of humanoid robots. The robot's hardware and software systems are modular and designed to be easily upgradable. So, for example, it can operate with a single arm or even just its head. Although currently unable to walk, Engineered Arts plans to achieve this one day.

"The main purpose of Ameca is to be a platform for developing AI," explains the company on its website. "We love designing and building robots. We'll leave it to you and all the other amazing (naturally intelligent) brains out there to create the AI and machine learning algorithms and see how far we can progress the technology together."

One commenter on YouTube writes: "It's the eyes. People take for granted how important eyes are when it comes to something looking alive."

Another writes: "The rapid movement, the focus, the blinking, the attention they seem to pay to whatever is grabbing their attention."

A third adds: "I seriously thought this was CGI at first. Great work! The hands look really well done too."

A second video is available to watch on Vimeo.

Ameca offers a glimpse of what consumer robotics could be like in the not-too-distant future. Today, domestic robots are mostly limited to small devices like the Roomba vacuums, lawn mowers, or children's toys. By 2045, however, realistic humanoid androids could be relatively common.