Meet Showa University's Showa Hanako 2, a dental training robot that's made of the same silicone skin that lines love dolls. We've seen some lifelike dental bots before, but this machine's pliable skin takes it to a whole 'nuther level.


Unlike the poor love dolls that share this robot's synthetic shell, the Showa Hanako 2 is programmed with a gag reflex. Notes Showa researcher Koutaro Maki:

People choke if you put your fingers down their throat, which is called the gag reflex. We've reproduced that reflex. Students are taught about this from textbooks, but it's hard to teach them what actually happens. So we've built a choking capability into this robot.


Also, the robot can become tired of keeping its mouth open for prolonged periods of time. 10 years from now, these things will dot cineplex lobbies around the world. Dry Socket Investigator 5 will be our children's Dance Dance Revolution.

[Via DigInfo]