Robot That Adapts to Human Behavior

Wizkid is a robot that looks like a computer with a mobile neck but you don't need to know any computer language or use a keyboard or mouse or touch a screen to communicate with it. The primidi.com technology website describes the Wizkid in this manner:"Once it sees you, Wizkid focuses on you and follows your movement. Unlike a computer, which requires you to stop what you're doing and adapt your behavior and social interactions in order to use it, Wizkid blends into human space. There's no mouse and no keyboard. You don't touch anything. There's no language getting in the way. On Wizkid's screen you see yourself surrounded by a 'halo' of interactive elements that you can simply select by waving your hands. If you move away or to one side, Wizkid adapts itself to you, not the other way around. If you're with a friend, Wizkid finds and tracks both of you and tries to figure out your relationship, expressing surprise, confusion or enjoyment when it gets your response."

Wizkid acts as some sort of a mirror so that if the user wants Wizkid to play a certain CD for instance, all you need to do is "show" the CD to Wizkid. And if you happen to throw a party, the robot will snap pictures of your guests and create a visual summary of the party. As the above quotation says, Wizkid adapts to you and not the other way around. Cool.

Wizkid is the brainchild of French engineer Frederick Kaplan and an industrial designer by the name of Martino d'Esposito.