2018
Professors Hiroshi Ishiguro and Takashi Ikegami
JAPAN

Alter2 is a research project in the field of android development, started in 2016 by two Japanese scientists: Hiroshi Ishiguro and Takashi Ikegami.

Their collaboration combines a dual approach: Ikegami seeks to create a human-like entity through “Bottom Up” design, focusing on the essence of life; Ishiguro instead adopts a "Top Down" perspective, with the aim of highlighting the expressions and the sense of "presence".

Alter is programmed to imitate the behavior of the people in front of it. However, in case he cannot replicate their acts accurately, he resorts to similar behaviors stored in his memory. When he is alone, he independently creates movements based on his "memories", entering a state defined as "dream mode". Dreaming is considered fundamental not only for consolidating memories, but also for generating new movements.

photo credit: Miraikan - The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation
Japan