Written by: Krishma Thapa - 2026008, Grade VI
Posted on: 20 September, 2020
Sophia is a social robot developed by Hong-Kong based company Hanson Robotics. Sophia was the first human-robot made on February 12, 2016. And made her first public appearance at the south by the southwest festival. Sophia has been covered by media around the globe and has participated in many high-profile interviews. In October 2017, Sophia "became” a Saudi Arabian citizen, the first robot to receive citizenship of any country. In November 2017, Sophia was named the United Nations Development Programme's first-ever Innovation Champion and is the first non-human to be given any United Nation title. The robot, modeled after the ancient Egyptian Queen Nefertiti Audrey Hepburn, and her inventor's wife. Sophia's architecture includes scripting software, a chat system, and Open Cog. Sophia imitates human facial expressions and is able to answer certain questions and to make simple conversations. Sophia uses speech recognition technology from Alphabet Sophia's intelligence software designed by Hanson Robotics. Hanson designed Sophia to be a suitable companion for the elderly at nursing homes or to help crowds at large events or parks. Cameras within Sophia's eyes combined with computer algorithms allow her to see. She can follow faces, sustain eye contact, and recognize individuals. She is able to process speech and have conversations using a natural language subsystem. In January 2018, Sophia was upgraded with functional legs and the ability to walk.
