Mira the robot has one job and one job only: to make you smile.
Built by Pixar employee Alonso Martinez, this simple, egg-shaped robot responds to facial expressions. Her best trick is playing peekaboo, bouncing excitedly on the table when a person’s face is hidden. Martinez’s YouTube description explains:
“This project explores human robot interactivity and emotional intelligence. Currently Mira uses face tracking to interact with the users and loves playing the game “peek-a-boo”. As her understanding of the world and people’s emotions get richer so will her ability to interact with people in a more meaningful way.”
Mira was developed with help from Aaron Nathan and Vijay Sundaram and was shown at the Bay Area Maker Faire this year. Here’s a prototype version, before the colored lights were added.
Who knew an egg could be so adorable?
Screengrab via Alonso Martinez/YouTube