KOCHI: Sophia, the social humanoid modelled after actress Audrey Hepburn, created a wave with her ability to imitate human gestures and facial expressions and make simple conversations on predefined topics. Jayakrishnan T, the CEO of Asimov Robotics, is working on a similar humanoid robot with Indian influences.
Named Chhaya, the non-mobile robot can understand, converse and express emotions. “Sophia has undergone constant revisions. Demand for humanoids is rising for services like medical assistance, delivery and surveillance. The idea of building a prototype similar to Sophia came to me around two years ago and we completed the model last year,” Jayakrishnan said.
A companion robot
Jayakrishnan and the team plan to use Chhaya as a mental-health companion. During the first wave of the pandemic, Jayakrishnan and his team had deployed two humanoid robots at the entrance of the Maker Village at the Kinfra Hi-Tech Park in Kalamassery to create awareness about Covid and to distribute masks and sanitisers to employees. The team also designed KARMI-BOT with two trays that can deliver food.