She talks, responds to the movements of people around her, and looks like a middle-aged lady: However, Nadine is not a person, but a robot. She greets visitors to the event and can be spoken to in German, English or French.
Nadine is one of only a handful of robots in the world modelled after humans. The Japanese company Kokoro made her face and hands to resemble those of professor Nadia Magnenat-Thalmann, and the similarity between the two is impressive.
Nadine responds to visitors
In her institutes in Geneva and Singapore, Magnenat-Thalmann researches the facial expressions and gestures of robots. As early as 1982 she designed a computer animated film in which the virtual figures Marilyn and Humphrey met for a rendezvous. Many years of research have been poured into Nadine, who not only speaks, but also responds to the movements of visitors. Compressor air, sensors, and software control analyse the intentions of human interaction, allowing Nadine to respond from a suitable selection of behavioural patterns.