Japan has never failed to bring the world terrifyingly lifelike humanoid robots. Sometimes I feel like Japan is situated right in the middle of the Uncanny Valley.
But sometimes these freakish inventions can actually do more than scare people. Sometimes these inventions can actually be very helpful, like one of Japan’s newest inventions, the dental robot. This robot helps aspiring dentists learn their craft, but also has a bit of a surprising background.
A long and illustrious line of horrifying dental robots.
Showa University has once again upped the stakes for Japan by producing a robot for dental students to practice on called the Showa Hanako 2. The university, in collaboration with Wasdea and Kogakuin Universities, teamed up with sex doll makers Orient Industries to help construct the Showa Hanako 2, creating the biggest collaboration between educators and perverts since Harvard teamed up with Hugh Hefner.
With the expertise from Orient Industries, Showa University has created a much more lifelike robot than their first attempt at a dental training robot, the Showa Hanako 1, whose wide mouth reminds me more than a little bit of Ichi the Killer:
“Smiles, everyone!”
In fact, this is Showa University’s third generation of dental robot in ten years. Each has been getting more and more lifelike, which I can’t tell is a good or bad thing.
There are lots of features that put the Showa Hanako 2 head and shoulders above other animitronic dental training robots. Showa Hanako 2 can do all of the following:
- Blink
- Talk and understand when someone is talking to it
- Move its motorized tongue
- Cough and sneeze
- Complain about having it mouth open for too long
- React with a gag reflex
Showa Hanako 2 even has a pulse in its right wrist, as if it needed to be more eerily lifelike.
With all of these feature on top of its humanoid appearance, the Showa Hanako 2 is truly cutting edge. You can see it in action as one of its creators talk more about it in this video:
[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhzbFaNueKU']
The robot itself may be terrifyingly lifelike and built on pervert technology, but I can definitely get behind the concept. What better way to have dental students practice their craft without giving somebody an accidental root canal? Anything that helps medical professionals become better at what they do is a-okay in my book.
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