The black industry chain of selling face information, we may have seen no strange, for individuals unique face, in the hands of others may be the flow of data and means of profit. But someone has approached you openly and paid for the permanent use of your face, are you willing?
Recently, the robotics company Promobot issued a call to the world, the goal is a “kind and friendly” face and the permanent use of this face, paid $ 200,000, the application is to send a photo of the face. It will consider anyone over the age of 25, regardless of race or gender, as long as they look “kind and friendly.
Promobot, a robotics startup founded in Perm, Russia in 2015, claims to be the largest manufacturer of “service robots” in Northern and Eastern Europe, developing service robots for customers in 40 countries and regions in a variety of locations, including but not limited to daycare centers, police stations, airports, supermarkets, and hospitals.
They offer three main types of robots – the mainstream service robot V.4, the humanoid robot Robo-C, and the temperature-controlled robot Thermocontrol, which measures body temperature, as Promobot explains on their website.
We are developing in the areas of mechatronics, electronics, artificial intelligence and neural networks, autonomous navigation, voice recognition, artificial skin and muscles, and human-robot interaction.
This very gimmicky-looking call is for Promobot’s “Humanoid” project for an anonymous client to create a new, surreal line of robots.
The company will create 3D models of the faces and bodies of successful applicants, which are expected to be used in hotels, shopping malls, airports, etc. in North America and the Middle East starting as early as 2023.
In addition to providing a likeness, successful applicants will have to dictate at least 100 hours of presentation material, which will be used to create realistic voices that can communicate in complex conversations. However, the voice doesn’t seem to count for an additional price.
According to Promobot, it received more than 20,000 applications in a single day, and now customers have called it quits. In a reassuring tone, the company said, “Don’t worry if you haven’t had a chance to submit your application yet, we’ll have more projects in the future. Subscribe to our Instagram and stay tuned”.
It’s not yet known if the winning face will be used elsewhere. But Promobot’s previous “humanoid robot” project was not a happy one.
Promobot’s “companion robot,” Robo-C, has 600 micro-simulation options for its head and can supposedly recreate the appearance of anyone. fairy tales, and Ronaldo manages the smart home system.”
Mentioning these celebrities may be just lip service, but Promobot actually made a robotic bust of Arnold Schwarzenegger and unveiled it at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and the New York Toy Fair, “Schwarzenegger will come to greet your guests and he will turn on the lights and the kettle for you “.
The real Schwarzenegger sent a termination letter to the company, expressing basically the same meaning – “like HELL I will”, presumably he wanted to say “screw you”! !
Schwarzenegger filed a lawsuit against Promobot for the unauthorized use of his face, which diminished his “hard-earned and well-deserved reputation as a movie star,” and is seeking $10 million in damages, plus any profits derived from it.
Each Robo-C reportedly costs between $25,000 and $50,000. So perhaps Promobot’s offer of $200,000 to buy out a face is a proactive way to avoid such a legal dispute, but whether that buyout price is reasonable is open to debate.
Interestingly, Promobot also made a point of distinguishing between V.4 and Robo-C in the official website list. Robo-C, which can customize its appearance, is fully anthropomorphic, capable of replicating human facial expressions, moving eyes, eyebrows, lips and other muscles, while V.4 cannot customize its appearance except for custom paint jobs.
V.4 and Robo-C in addition to the naked eye can be seen in the painting style is very different, there are also some differences in function. v.4 more height adjustment, autonomous movement, mapping system, automatic connection to the charging station, custom movement development and other functions. Other services such as communication Q&A, available languages, face recognition, and receipt printing are common to both.
But both robots look slightly strange, and we can’t decide who is better. I wonder if the so-called “kind and friendly” face will still look amiable when it’s permanently covered with robots?
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