In Japan, the search for lifelike robots that can serve practical tasks continues unabated, with the rest of the world watching in hushed awe. Here we have Hanako Showa, a dental simulator pretending to be a Japanese woman. She giggles, winces in pain, has a moving tongue, and even features a gag reflex among other things. The device is the result of a collaboration between Tmsuk, a robot maker, and three Japanese universities that worked on the medical side of the project.
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[Read the article and watch the video at http://www.medgadget.com/archives/2010/03/robot_takes_over_for_humans_as_dental_guinea_pig.html]
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