Automaton Devises Oral Communication Through Typewriter Inspirations
In an intriguing blend of old and new, James Brown has developed a remarkable pivoting mouth mechanism for a talking robot. This innovative design is inspired by the IBM Selectric typeball, a seminal piece of technology from the past.
The mechanism works by using a plastic ball, adorned with multiple different mouth shapes, which is pivoted inside the robot's head. By adjusting the angle of this ball, various mouth shapes are displayed on the robot's face, creating the illusion of the robot speaking. When these mouth shapes are switched rapidly and synchronized with recorded speech audio, it produces the convincing impression of a talking robot.
Brown's design is a direct adaptation of the pivot-and-select concept used in the IBM Selectric typeball. In the original typeball, letters and characters were printed on its surface, which could be rotated and pivoted to strike the desired character against the typewriter ribbon. Brown has replaced these characters with mouth shapes, and instead of printing, the rotated mouth shape is visually presented as the robot's moving mouth.
One of the key advantages of this approach, derived from the IBM Selectric mechanism, is speed. The typeball could pivot and rotate quickly to select characters, and similarly, the robot mouth’s rapid changes between mouth shapes help produce fluid speech-matching mouth movements faster than many flexible-membrane or mechanically articulated mouths.
A few years ago, Brown made headlines when he successfully operated the classic game DOOM on a miniature LEGO brick. This time, he has used the LEGO brick as a platform to demonstrate his talking robot, further showcasing his ingenuity and technical prowess.
For those interested in recreating this idea, the operation of the Selectric typeball is well-documented elsewhere. Brown's finished product was recently demonstrated on Mastodon, leaving many impressed by the robot's impressive speaking abilities.
As we move forward, it will be interesting to see how this retro technology continues to inspire and drive innovation in the field of robotics.
- Artificial-intelligence, combined with the pivoting mouth mechanism, could enable the robot to mimic human-like speech patterns more accurately in the future.
- The social-media platform Mastodon, where Brown demonstrated his talking robot, has become a hub for showcasing and discussing emerging technologies in entertainment and artificial-intelligence.
