photo: Sophia at the AI for Good Global Summit 2018, CC BY 2.0
The annual robotics festival Robotex International is due to take place in Tallinn from 5-7 November; in addition to autonomous machines, a renowned humanoid robot called Sophia will “make an appearance” at the festival.
The festival will host competitions and robotics workshops and sheds light on autonomous machines and electromobility. It will also showcase locomotives developed and produced in Estonia and abroad.
“The development of autonomous machines has taken a quantum leap in the last few years, so we decided to bring together different devices and machines and show them all to our audience,” the festival’s organisers said in a statement.
“For example, Cleveron will be bringing a modern self-driving robot courier, the Cleveron 701, to Robotex, where you can try out the control centre for yourself, while young people from TalTech (Tallinn University of Technology) will be presenting a self-driving moulding car – plus all kinds of self-propelled washing machines, vacuum cleaners and mowers. The robot assistants will be presented by Schbot.”
For the first time, a humanoid robot called Sophia will “visit” Estonia. “Presented at several international exhibitions around the world, the humanoid robot communicates and moves like a human being and is able to express emotions, has a sense of humour and an appearance based on actress Audrey Hepburn,” the organisers said.
Sophia was developed by Hong Kong-based company Hanson Robotics and activated in 2016. In October 2017, Sophia “became” a Saudi Arabian citizen, the first robot to receive citizenship of any country.
The festival will also showcase interactive technology solutions and entertainment for school children. There will be a dedicated area where visitors can try out both new and familiar interactive VR and console solutions.