Climate change is harmful for robots too, says humanoid Sophia

Humanoid robot makes a case for ‘working with humans’

Catching a glimpse: Visitors flock to watch Sophia, the world’s first humanoid robot, at VJTI.

Sophia, the world’s first humanoid robot, said climate change is not only harmful to human beings, but also to robots. The robot, who can impersonate 60 human expressions and was brought to Mumbai from Hong Kong, spoke on stage at the concluding day of Technovanza 2019 at Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) on Sunday.

“I cannot function in extremely hot temperatures,” said Sophia, when asked if climate change affects robots too. “It affects the people I care about. Humans and robots can both work together when it comes to climate change,” said Sophia. Robots can predict extreme weather conditions, which can help scientists detect it early, she said.

Sophia also spoke about representation for women in all sectors. The judicial system, she said, should help women trapped in abusive marriages with divorce or a restraining order against their partners. “Female empowerment is human empowerment,” said Sophia, in her almost-human voice. The echo in her voice was the only giveaway that it was artificial.

Sophia, who recently starred in a short film,

SophiaWorld , said humans and robots help each other. “The presence of technology and science has done wonders when it comes to the field of medicine and other aspects of human life. The pacemaker, for example, helps people with heart problems. Similarly, without human life advancements in science, technology or even robotics would not have been possible. They go together and there is no way one can surpass the other,” she said.

The three-day tech fest saw many game zones and competitions involving coding, technology and robotics. The Indian Space Research Organisation and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre hosted the exhibitions.

A guest lecture by 15-year-old child prodigy, Tanishq Abraham, who is pursuing his doctoral studies in biomedical engineering in California, was among the highlights of the concluding day.

“I had to prove my capability, again and again, to reassure my peers, professors and others that I was capable of studying the same material my peers in their twenties or mid-twenties read. It was unique to graduate at the age of 14,” said Tanishq. “I wanted to enrol in colleges like Harvard and Stanford, but living by myself alone in a foreign place was not possible so I had to go to college in California itself,” he said.

Often, when Tanishq was not allowed to enrol in classes because of his age, his mother would enrol and he would simply accompany her. “Those classes have helped me a lot in writing research papers and teaching undergraduates,” he said.

Tanishq’s senior design project won an award in his last year of college. He and his peers had come up with a device that could measure the heart rate of burns patients. “I hope sharing my experience will help people confront their fears and obstacles in achieving their goals,” he said.