Geminoid F: More Video and Photos of the Female Android

IEEE Spectrum obtained exclusive images and video of Hiroshi Ishiguro's new android

2 min read

Erico Guizzo is IEEE Spectrum's Digital Innovation Director.

Geminoid F: More Video and Photos of the Female Android

geminoid f


Photos: Osaka University (left); Osaka University and Kokoro Company (right); composite (middle).

Geminoid F, the female android recently unveiled by Hiroshi Ishiguro, a roboticist at Osaka University and ATR famous for his ultra-realistic humanlike androids, generated a lot of interest. Several people wrote me asking for more details and also more images. So here's some good news. I got some exclusive photos and video of Geminoid F, courtesy of Osaka University, ATR Intelligent Robotics and Communication Laboratories, and Kokoro Company. Below is a video I put together giving an overview of the project.


Watch in HD here.

And here are some more photos of the android. The first one below is a composite I created using the two photos right beneath it. It shows how the android's silicone body hides all the mechanical and electronics parts.

geminoid f


Composite based on photos below. Notice that the robot's body is not in the exact same position in the two images, so the composite is not a perfect match; also, I had to flip the robot skeleton image to get the right angle, creating a mirrored image that obviously doesn't correspond to reality.

geminoid f


Photos: Osaka University and Kokoro Company; Osaka University

Here's a Kokoro engineer working on the android's face. Ishiguro and Kokoro have long been collaborators, creating several humanlike androids that include the Geminoid HI-1 and Repliee Q1 and Q2.

geminoid f


Photo: Osaka University and Kokoro Company

In developing Geminoid F, Ishiguro paid particular attention to the facial expressions. He wanted an android that could exhibit a natural smile -- and also a frown.

geminoid f


Photos: Osaka University

The android is a copy of a woman in her twenties. Ishiguro told me that her identity will remain "confidential."


Photo: Osaka University

geminoid f


Photo: Osaka University

Here's Geminoid F meeting Geminoid HI-1.

geminoid f


Photo: Osaka University and ATR Intelligent Robotics and Communication Laboratories

geminoid f and geminoid hr-1


Photo: Osaka University and ATR Intelligent Robotics and Communication Laboratories

This one below shows the woman teleoperating the android. A vision system captures her mouth and head movements, reproducing those movements on the android. The woman can also use the mouse to activate certain behaviors.

geminoid f


Photo: Osaka University

So tell us: Was Ishiguro able to leap over the abyss of the uncanny valley?

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