Japanese Robot Theater
November 27, 2008
First there were dancing robots, then house-sitting robots and now a new breed of acting robots is making its big debut on the Japanese stage. The play, which had its premiere at Osaka University, is one of Japan’s first robot-human theatre productions.
The machines were specially programmed to speak lines with human actors and move around the stage with them.
The play focuses on a young couple who own two housekeeping robots, one of which loses its motivation to work. In the play, the robot complains that it has been forced into boring and demeaning jobs and enters into a discussion with the humans about its role in their lives.
Sources:
Actor robots take Japanese stage (BBC)
Household bot makes theatrical debut (CNET)
Robots Debut In Japanese Theater Production (Slashdot)
