New Robotic Mannequins Are Making A Splash In South Korea
Robotic mannequins have gained great popularity in Japan since 2001, when Tatsuya Matsui from the Flower Robotics, SGI, developed one called Palette. In 2008 the New Industry Research Organization Kobe designed its own robotic mannequin that can move its neck, waist, and limbs. The main problem with robotic mannequins is, that they are much more expensive, if compared to the out-of-date models. South Korea’s IMD Communications has lately unveiled a new robotic mannequin, presented in three variants, each named after an Indian goddess and having its own modeling behavior. Endrani featuring elegance, Dipani emphasizing women’s confidence and creativity, and Marian symbolizing strength and dynamics are booming at the test locations. Beside drawing customersâ attention, these mannequins can move limbs, thus making it easier for store assistants to dress and undress them. Taking into account the added expense, it looks as if the robots will be displayed only at chic boutiques, but they’re already making a splash with customers. Another team of researchers at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology are working on a simple upper-body mannequin called iMate, that uses a Microsoft Kinect sensor to copy the arm movements of people standing in front of it.
Via:gizmag.com
