Pinocchio 2.0
At 17 inches tall and 6 pounds, an artificial boy named Zeno is the culmination of five years of work by David Hanson and a small group of engineers, designers and programmers at his company, Hanson Robotics. They believe there’s an emerging business in the design and sale of lifelike robotic companions, or social robots. Unlike clearly artificial robotic toys, Zeno is an interactive learning companion, a synthetic pal who can engage in conversation and convey human emotion through a face made of a skinlike, patented material Hanson calls frubber. He plans to make little Zenos available to consumers within the next three years for $200 to $300.
