Just a Thought: BJD Persocoms?

Omg! was it Aiko? or another android!

 

This isn't a matter of 'when' it's actually already happened. Putting robotics inside of a doll or creature isn't a new concept at all. Though of course they are not usually seen in BJDs specifically, this is mostly due to the lack of market for such a thing. The reason? A lot of you are saying it would be 'creepy' right? Well this is the reason why no company has started mass producing such a thing. It is to put it simply, uneconomical.

Here is a diagram describing the theory behind why people think this kind of thing is 'creepy' or a little bit disconcerting:



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_Valley << this is the link for those of you that would like to know more.


It is because BJDs have such a human likeness that makes this 'unorthodox' to a public market and thus, it 'doesn't exist' on a commercial basis. Though the idea is certainly not a new one. Automation and computer capabilities inside dolls have been used mostly in the entertainment industry, but in some of the higher tech circles, many enthusiasts have already made working models of such things.

So I say its not a matter of when or how, but merely a matter of who has enough enthusiasm to actually do it.

 

Well, I do have a friend who's a mechanical engineer and he always proposes the idea of letting him insert a motion recognizing camera in my dolls' heads so their eyes would follow me around the room. At which point I always glare at him with a scandalized look and rip my doll out of his hands, if he's been nice enough to earn my trust up to that point.

But as for a persocom dollfie...it's an intruiging idea, to say the least. I would somehow just feel it was strange to have a programmed personality for a doll that already has such a defined personality in my head alone. What if he became a different person? O.o

 

They don't necessarily have to have a "programmed" personality. What was mostly in debate was putting things like appointment schedules and other functions in them so they act like a PDA. Though like some other commerical toy robots, I can see why you'd be worried about such a thing.

To be honest, to have them actually have a 'personality' you'd need to have their AI programmed, for that there would need to be a 'set' personality yes, but that also means that the person programming them (which would ideally be you or someone you know who knows the doll and their character) would have control over their decision making / interactive functions.

In other words, if you did indeed give your doll a personality, it would most likely be one you defined yourself in the first place. The more detailed you know the character, the more detailed the programming. Of course neural netting a decent human-like set of parameters is... still quite a way off to say the least... but there are quite a number of decent advances in this kind of thing happening.

My point is.. yes you could have a doll with a 'personality', but if it ever did come 'standard' there would be an application (or should be one) that could let you modify the doll's personality to your own needs. Given the complete characterisation of BJD's by their owners, companies would have to really take this into account when producing such a product, should there ever be one. ^__^

 

Ehh...I totally got carried away with the Chobits reference, didn't I? You're right - I was sort of thinking more about the logistics of how closely I could construct a doll's personality if I tried to manufacture it how I imagined it to be and such. Sorry for getting so abstract

 

Well it's the same thing, really. You could only do it to a certain point, depending on how much time you spent on it. Though with a decent amount of hours put in through interacting with and refining the AI (which is basically the programming of the personality and 'emotions'), you could get something that is quite a decent representation. As I said, if you were the one doing it (realistically, that is) then you shouldn't have a problem constructing the doll the way you imagine them to be, there are just certain limits at the current technological point in time, that's all.

 

For anyone who wanted to see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WjzG1AMfyY&feature=related

A short clip of the dollfie-turned-android dancing. It's a pullip head on a Dollfie Dream version one body.

 

I always think of chobits when it comes to this kind of stuff and even when it comes to thinking about androids. It's scary though in a way, because technology is a blessing as well as a curse these days. Everything should be done in moderation and these days I find human interaction decreasing due to technology. What's not to say that people would fall In love with their androids (just like chobits), I think that's the scary thing..replacing friends family and loved ones with synthetic humans ^^'

 

If it would be like Chi in Chobits....I think a Judas persocom would be hilarious *__*'
I would huggle and snuggle him a lot

Anyway, any other kind of persocom...no way. Only the Chi-way would be fine for me.

 

Personally I LOVE the idea of one! It count be like an alarm clock, music player, diary and so on, but then again this would make the price sky rocket :S

 

I don't just want a doll to talk to me or look at me. I want one that can clean my house

 

Well. I wouldnt really want them to clean and stuff. Thats a little harsh in my view. I would just like them to talk and walk. With their personality. It would be great having them around ^^ Just to talk to as friends.

 

I love Chobits. I hope to go into robotics when I'm all growned up.

That being said, resin is not the stuff for this. It's too heavy, you'd end up with a very difficult to maneuverer robot. But, yeah, if you could have voice recognition conversations with you doll, that would pretty much be all my dreams come true. Provided it didn't have an attitude like Elbot and I could re-program bits of it. And it ran Linux, of course, because Linux is better.

 

Wouldn't care for it personally, I'd probably get bored, run out the battery and not replace it.
Sometimes things are better when not over complicated. Toys and dolls are better if you use your imagination, than if you have to rely on the creator who progammed it. (I notice my sons Legos got more play than his electronic toys)

Rather have my doll be a doll and my computer a computer.

When cellphones didn't have cameras I never took pictures of the inside of my purse, now thanks to the over complicated phone I have several times accidentally.

Probably would cost an arm and a leg anyways, look how much Honda put into Asimo.

 

Um.
Actually, my sister's boyfriend threatens to wire a BJD with robotics every time he sees one of ours. He's very adamant about doing this. It's kind of terrifying. And he's an engineer with a background with robotics, and he assures us it's very possible.

So my take on this? Very possible yes.

 

I don't know. it's absolutely frustrating to me, the amount of technology that overruns our lives.
I went out to eat with a friend and she spent the whole time texting people. I don't think we really need robots. why not do it ourselves? But i guess that's just a matter of my opinion.

that and mischief and i are on standing terms that should he begin walking and talking on his own, i WILL smash him with a hammer. -shudders-

 

that would be great

 

I would want one that didn't talk, could only look at me and say things with her/his eyes. And to be able to pull a jump drive cable out of her/his ear. That's all I'd want, just a walking jump drive. :3

 

I'd be worried about increased isolation. I spend a lot of time with my dolls...and I think by having a mechanical one I'd be more apt to spend more time with it.

Also...part of BJDs is imagination...creating personalities, finding interesting poses and imagining what they would be like if they were alive. If Carleigh were to suddenly talk to me and move herself there would be no more need for me to do so.

 

I think Chobits and Angelic Layer are what got me really interested in BJD's in the first place. I loved the idea of such a realistic, customizable doll. I don't know if I'd be interested in a human sized persocom though, considering how even SD's are too big lol
I really liked the little "laptop" persocoms though- Sumomo is adorable. (Which could be why my puki is the perfect size...)