The weekly newsletter for Fed2 by ibgames

EARTHDATE: December 21, 2008

Official News page 6


REAL LIFE NEWS: THE ROBOT GIRLFRIEND

by Hazed

A socially inadequate inventor who builds himself a robot girlfriend because he can't cope with real live women is a theme that has been used many times in science fiction - in books, films and TV. Often, the boffin who creates the sexy droid is portrayed as someone quite creepy and it never does end well. (See the season 5 Buffy episode "I Was Made to Love You" for a prime example.)

Well, a Canadian man has just done it in real life. Le Trung is a 33-year-old software engineer who lives with his parents (yes, he's sounding socially inadequate already) in a suburb of Toronto and so far he's spent about $20,000 on his creation. He calls her - it - whatever - Aiko, and she/it is a 5-foot-tall female android with a slim, shapely figure and a wonderful disposition. So he says.

He told the Toronto Globe and Mail that Aiko can "recognize faces, identify medication, she can even butter your toast." And she also speaks - in both English and Japanese, and she can read.

"Aiko is what happens when science meets beauty," Le Trung explained. "Aiko doesn't need holidays, food or rest, and will work almost 24 hours a day. She is the perfect woman." Yeah, he's conforming to the creepy stereotype, isn't he?

Oh, she's not all perfect: she can't walk. That will take lots more work and lots more funding.

Now, you are all dying to see what Aiko looks like, I am sure. So here's some pictures.


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