Looks like we won’t have to wait until the 24th Century for Mr. Data. The future is already here. We have already reached just beyond the fringes of cutting edge animatronics. A similar robotic device such as this one is already on board the International Space Station and will soon have its legs attached so it can maneuver about the ISS relieving the human astronauts from some of the more daily mundane tasks of maintenance freeing them up for the important experiments being conducted in near zero gravity.
Notice the subtle flexibility and perfectly human-like hand and finger movements in this robot. Of course to sell the idea researchers felt the need to dress the bot up in a G-string, spiked heels and an Eyes Wide Shut identity mask……but it is quite intriguing to watch just how far along robotics has come in the last twenty years. Now all that is necessary is the development of a self-aware positronic brain to fit into the brain-pan of one of these bots.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ivaQf1jns0
At first I thought it was just some woman in a costume, but then I noticed that the movements look sort of like a puppet. So now I’m confused.
I suppose the only real question is, can we make them stand up without a connecting a large metal rod to the chest, and keep that level of movement.
Also, I hope that when Robots do become mainstream (unlikely to happen in my lifetime), that they at least look like robots. Human looking robots are creepy. Robots with light bulbs for eyes, and flashing LEDs for a mouth, are much friendly looking.