Hanako 2 Robot Serves Surprising Value To Society

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It’s been a while since we’ve last heard anything in the robotics beat, so it’s exciting to bring out word of the Hanako 2. Speaking for a moment as someone who has seen his share, and then some, of Japanese horror film, I know from where I speak when I tell you they can get downright creepy. And that kind of creepy spirit easily continues on into things like the Hanako 2 robot, pictured directly below.

I’ll give you a minute to wipe down your monitor, because that was a shocker, no two ways about it. The Hanako 2 robot has recently had some upgrades that actually make it well suited for the medical training markets. See, in this case, while it looks like a horror movie prop about to tear a chunk out of your throat, what’s really going on here is that Hanako 2 is in a dentist’s chair, about to have its “teeth” examined. And now, thanks to these upgrades, it can also throw in a lot of the curve balls that a dentist might expect, like blinking, sneezing, coughing, and even choking, if you happen to get that pick a little too far back. It even boasts voice recognition systems, allowing it to respond to questions that the dentist in training asks. She’s also had her skin replaced with silicone instead of the original PVC, and had several motors installed for more realistic movement.

While, admittedly, that may well be the worst possible picture to show of the Hanako 2, it’s hard to dispute the value of such a device in terms of training medical students. After all, I’d much sooner that a dentist to be get their training with a giant doll that can’t bleed or scream before they come and get hacking at my gum line with their horrible little devices.

Oh, and yes, for those of you wondering about the less savory side of this robot’s origins, it is indeed reportedly based on “love doll” technology, though its new use is considerably more beneficial to society as a whole. But I guess all new technology has to start somewhere!

So what do you guys think? Valuable new tool for training in medicine, entirely too creepy for words, or both? The comments section is waiting to take your opinion, so head on down and talk robot!