South Korean scientists develop dancing robot

Ever since the term ''robot'' was coined from the Czech word for ''slave'' in 1933, human imagination has painted a possible future where mechanised assistants will emulate all human behaviour and satisfy every human need. However, accounts of artificial people date well before that - such as the mechanical servants built by the Greek god Hephaestus.

In the 4th century BC, the Greek mathematician Archytas of Tarentum postulated a mechanical steam-operated bird he called "The Pigeon". Hero of Alexandria (10-70 AD) created numerous user-configurable automated devices, and described machines powered by air pressure, steam and water. Su Song built a clock tower in China in 1088 featuring mechanical figurines that chimed the hours.

Science fiction, notably Isaac Asimov's, who also drafted the famous ''Three Laws of Robotics'', and popular movies have propounded the possibility of a future populated by human-like robots. Now South Korean researchers have reportedly developed a robot which can perform that unique human feat of dancing.

Scientists at KIST (Korea Institute of Science and Technology) have updated their Mahru II robot with the new Mahru Humanoid Robot that lives up to its name by displaying several human characteristics. Scheduled to make its first major public appearance at Korea's Robot World conference this week, the main feature of Mahru is its ability to simultaneously move its upper and lower body independently to perform dance moves or human-like actions in the same fashion as Honda's amazing Asimo robot.

The robot also has the ability to recognize faces, voices and objects, making it just about ready for robo-butler duty. It can move its lips, eyebrows and even pupils freely to make faces and can emit two kinds of fragrances to match its emotions.

"Mahru, which can dance while walking on its legs, was developed as a humanoid robot capable of working in place of a human. It will open the way for the commercial use of humanoid robots doing housework," team leader You Bum-Jae said in a statement. "It will open the way for the commercial use of humanoid robots doing housework."

Mahru is programmed to follow various human movements through an advanced motion capture system, he said, adding it can move its hands freely to cope with any interference or obstacles.

Presently, there are more than one million robots in operation worldwide in the first half of 2008, with roughly half in Asia, 32 per cent in Europe, 16 per cent in North America, 1 per cent in Australasia and 1 per cent in Africa.