A robot called Zeno from Hanson Robotics debuted at Wired NextFest recently. The little robot reminds me a bit of Chucky from the cheesy Child’s Play movie. Zeno uses AI technology and when connected to the Internet he learns.

Hanson robotics collaborated with Massive software to develop the AI simulation software. Massive Software was the developer of the AI on the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Zeno features a speech engine and has vision and decision-making capabilities. The robot can recognize and remember faces and react accordingly.

The robot is articulated with over 28 servos in the legs, arms, torso and face. Zeno is 17-inches tall, weighs 6-pounds, and is powered by a lithium polymer battery. The bot can walk and balance and is able to keep track of where people are around him to keep eye contact. Ultimately Hanson Robotics wants to see Zeno as a mainstream electronics product.

Via Hanson Robotics