A robot has been trained to write calligraphy just as a human would, and to no one’s surprise, this experiment happened in Japan. Researchers at Keio University have developed what they call the motion copy system, which allows a robot to identify, store and recreate complicated brush strokes.
Fortunately, no one does calligraphy anymore but street vendors, thanks to the rise of movable type, and of course desktop publishing. Perhaps training robots to do things we no longer do is just the thing to keep them busy and a few decades behind us.
Here’s what we’d like to see them taught how to do next:
- Read ticker tape
- Operate a fax machine
- Adjust the television’s rabbit ears
- Rewind tapes in VCRs
- Develop film
- Make our girlfriends mix tapes