‘Human replacement robot’.

How’s that for a terrifying idea?

The reality is that advancements in robotics are happening at a rapid pace, and the human replacement robots are here.

First, there was Sophia, the first robot granted citizenship in Saudi Arabia, who also slipped up and said that she (it?) would kill all humans.

Boston Dynamics has also been producing some pretty creepy humanoid robots that can jump, run and avoid obstacles.

Now Furhat robotics has released ‘Furhat’, which they claim is the world’s most advanced social robot platform, reports Business Insider.

Unlike the ultra-realism depicted by the likes of TV show Westworld, Furhat uses computer animation to represent a human-like face. It’s also capable of projecting just about anything you want, from a dog to an alien.

I’m calling it – this is the creepiest one yet. Take a look:

The robot is limited to a head and shoulders and weighs around 3,5kg. It can mimic natural head movement, as well as recognise and track faces.

The company is calling it a “human replacement robot”.

The robot could replace a concierge or a receptionist, and can facilitate employee training or even carrying out what the company calls “unbiased interviews”.

Furhat can speak 40 languages and is supposed to be able to interact with us in the same way that we interact with other humans.

If it cuts down on the amount of human interaction I have to endure, I’m all for it:

Yeah, I’m not convinced. There’s still something slightly off about the way it interacts, like it’s lulling you into a false sense of security.

I’ll stick to real humans for now, thanks.

[source:businessinsider]