A: Do you have a boyfriend?
B: I have no interest in that.
A: You are very pretty.
B: Oh, I was born this pretty.
A: Are you a boy or a girl?
B: Actually I have been entangled with this question for a long time.
This conversation would be considered dull if it took place between two people but between a human and a robot, it s something special.
B is a robot named Huanhuan (which means joy in Chinese) who is enjoying huge popularity among visitors and exhibitors at Hall 5 of Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center.
Invented by the Institute of Automation at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Huanhuan is capable of free conversation with human beings. It is based on keyword technology and can answer people s questions according to those words. Even its designers cannot predict its answers.
Conventional robots have required technicians to input the questions first, with all answers prespecified.
It is Huanhuan s unusual, ambiguous and occasionally reluctant responses that have made the mechanical being so popular, causing bouts of laughter among visitors.
I ve never seen such a smart robot before. It could be an ideal companion for the elderly or kids, said Xiao Shusheng, a visitor to the fair, yesterday.
As in previous years, the robot pavilion at Hall 5 is among the most popular highlights.
There are 73 types of robot on display. This year s fair boasts the widest variety of robots since the CHTF was first held in 1999.
(By Jane Lai)
