A 42-year old graphic designer in Hong Kong spent a year and a half, and $50,000, to create a robot replica of the actress Scarlett Johansson, Reuters reports.
The robot is programmed to deliver verbal responses when spoken at, and even has moving facial expressions.
Ricky Ma said that he was inspired by the cartoons series featuring robots that he had watched while growing up as a kid.
“There were Transformers, cartoons about robots fighting each other, and games about robots,” Ma said. “After I grew up, I wanted to make one. But during this process, a lot of people would say things like, ‘Are you stupid? This takes a lot of money. Do you even know how to do it? It’s really hard.’”
Robots made in the likeness of humans have already found commercial use, such as serving as the hotel staff in certain hotels in Japan.
The robot, who responds to the name “Mark 1,” can also move its arms and legs, and bow its head.
When given the compliment “Mark 1, you are so beautiful,” the robot bows, forms a smile on its face, and says “thank you” in a generic computer voice.
For Ma, building the robot involved having to learn electromechanics and programming, and figuring out how to integrate 3D printed parts with robotic skin.
“When you look at everything together, it was really difficult,” Ma said. “I figured I should just do it when the timing is right and realise my dream. If I realise my dream, I will have no regrets in life.”
Ma hopes that investors will purchase the prototype and give him capital to build more robots.
