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EveR is a series of femaleandroids developed by a team ofSouth Korean scientists from theKorea Institute of Industrial Technology inKorea University of Science and Technology. The project is headed by Baek Moon-hong (Korean:백문홍) and was unveiled to the public at the Kyoyuk MunHwa HoeKwan hotel in Seoul on May 4, 2003. The EveR name is derived from the combination of the Biblical "Eve" and ther fromrobot.
EveR-1 (에버원) is a direct competitor ofActroid, which is being developed bySanrio's Kokoro Dreams andOsaka University of Japan, and was unveiled at theInternational Robot Exhibition inTokyo in 2003. EveR-1 was built in a year at a cost of 300 million won (US$321,000) in state funds.
The creators said the humanoid's face is a composite of two well-known Korean actresses, while the torso is based on a singer, though the names of the celebrities were not revealed. The android weighs 50 kilograms and has a height of 160 centimeters.
The creators also said that EveR-1 can mimic the human emotions of happiness, sadness, anger, and surprise more naturally than its Japanese rival, while using ahydraulic system for certain movements. EveR-1 contains a total of 35 miniature motors located throughout its upper body, which enables EveR-1 to move its head, arms, and upper body and even move its lips in synchronization with the robot's speech. Its skin is made of synthetic, pliablesilicone jelly that feels similar to human skin.
The android can recognize 400 Korean and English words, allowing it to respond to questions both verbally and through 15 facial expressions: EveR-1 will show displeasure if you poke her. The android also hasmotion data process sensors in its artificial eyes, enabling it to follow people with its eyes and head.
EveR-2, later calledEveR-2 Muse (에버투 뮤즈)[1] performed at Robot World 2006 in Seoul;[2] it has improved vision and ability to express emotions, as well as various other enhancements.[3] In 2008 EveR-2 could express thefacial expressions of happiness, sadness, fear, surprise, anger, and disgust, along with 100gestures.[4]
Boredom is now an available emotion,[citation needed] along with the usual joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. EveR2-Muse sang the Korean ballad "I Will Close My Eyes For You" during the opening ceremony at the Robot World 2006 conference in Seoul.
The android is about 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) tall and weighs about 135 pounds (61 kg). Its silicone-covered face has a higher flexibility; 29 motors and dozens of joints provide 23 degrees of freedom for self-expression. In total, EveR-2 has 25 moredegrees of freedom than EveR-1. Its improvedspeech recognition, voice synthesis and gesture expression technology allows for more sophisticated communication and interaction with humans. The smallCCD cameras of EveR-1 have been upgraded to Wide range Small CCD cameras (90 degrees) for better vision. While the synthetic pliable silicone jelly only covered the face and hand with soft materials of the EveR-1 (while the rest was covered with hard material), EveR-2 has its whole body covered with the soft artificial skin.
Baek Moon-hong envisions educational and entertainment functions for the androids, from providing information in department stores and museums, to reading stories to children.[citation needed]
EveR-3 (에버 3)[5] is the successor of EveR-2, demonstrated in 2009. It is the first model in the EveR series to be mobile, using wheels for locomotion and being dressed in long skirts to hide the wheels. In early 2010 it reportedly appeared in a Korean play called Robot Princess and the Seven Dwarfs[6] which is based on theSnow White story.[7]
EveR-4 (에버4),[8] also called EveR-4M,[9] has amodular design with 64 degrees of freedom including 33 in the head (30 in the face and 3 in the neck), and 5 in the lower body (3 in the legs and 2 in an underlyingwheel).[9] It was exhibited at RoboWorld 2011 in Seoul, where experiments showed that some of itsfacial expressions are more recognisable than others, with correct recognition rate being highest among female participants in the 20-40 age range.[9] The robot was exhibited again atExpo 2012 Yeosu Korea (May to August 2012).[10] It has an artificial tongue, and unlike EveR-3, EveR-4 can be fitted with legs[11] but no claim is made of it being able to walk (the wheel at the base is not usually shown on photographs).
