Japanese inventor Nobuhiro Takahashi has created “SHIRI” (“ass” in Japanese), robotic buttocks that respond with different emotions to different human contacts . Takahashi hopes to use this technological prototype to develop responses that can be applied to other parts of a humanoid’s body, particularly the face, to aid non-verbal communication.
He decided to develop his technology in artificial buttocks because the movements of the buttocks are wider and therefore, they make it easier to transmit emotions.
“I wanted to use the buttocks to reflect emotions like fear, joy or relaxation,” Takahashi, a student of electronic communication at the University of Tokyo, told Reuters. To make a robot show fear, Takahashi uses a blow, and in the case of these artificial buttocks, a spanking. The robot’s mechanical buttocks respond to a blow with tremors . A slow wobble is a sign of relaxation, while a light gentle touch makes you squeeze in pleasure according to Takahashi.
