Boris, The Fake Robot

I just read about a hilarious robot scam, and while I would never even dream about trying to pull off any of the con-jobs I read about, this one is pretty hilarious, and is a bit tempting! According to a New York TImes article, a state-sponsored Russian news channel promoted a technology forum for students with the enticement of seeing and interacting with a human-like robot, named Boris.

Boris was billed as a super-advanced robot, and was intended to spark an interest in technology, and hopefully get children and teenagers thinking about technology careers. During the event, Boris gave a speech in a robotic voice, and then performed a dance routine to a popular song, drawing cheers from kids and the press alike. But the performance left some spectators incredulous. Boris was just the right size for a person to fit inside, and didn't appear to have any of the external sensors that would be needed for such advanced movement. A little digging turned up no info on the robot, which is odd for such an "advanced" machine. Some more sleuthing uncovered Boris' secret: he was a really convincing rental costume! At a little under 4 grand, and the cost to hire an actor, Boris was a heck of a deal, compared to the millions it would cost to ACTUALLY develop a real robot.

Not to be confused with THIS Boris, the dishwashing robot from the UK.

The fake robot would probably have been effective in steering young interests toward robotics and technology anyway, but news of the scandal may prove even more effective. The scam was a much bigger media event than the actual conference, and will undoubtedly get more kids thinking about what it would take to make a real life-like robot. What it gets me thinking about, though is getting hold of a realistic robot costume!