Fast forward to 1:30 for the real action
Eliza is a robot built Beijing Institute of Technology's Intelligent Robotics Research Lab and the China Aerospace Science & Industry Corporation. Eliza is an affable robot designed for human interaction. First employed as a general guide at the Guangzhou Asian Games 2010 Experience Center, Eliza has been seen at various other shopping malls and Wal-marts since. More recently a crew of Eliza bots have thrilled audiences with their choreographed dance routines.
Most notable, Eliza uses speech recognition to interact with people. The bot is able to hold simple conversations in Chinese. An example Eliza's creators commonly use; a child approaches Eliza and asks some questions, “What is your name? I like to eat fruit!." Eliza responded, “My name is Eliza and I come from Beijing. Robots can’t eat fruit, but I like apples.”
The cartoonish robot stands 1.5 (~ 5') meters tall and weighs 50 kg (~ 110 lbs). Locomotion is provided by two wheels underneath Eliza's skirt, with a maximum speed of 1 meter per second. Its head has 2 degrees on freedom, and its arms have four. The aluminum and ABS plastic bot also houses 10 infrared sensors for simple obstacle avoidance and security, dual speakers, microphone, LED array in the head, and wireless communication components. Remote operators also have a panel of controls that can make Eliza perform all its actions. The battery provides 2 hours of operations, but is optional to direct AC tethering.
If I dare set foot in a shipping mall anytime soon, I would prefer to be greeted by Eliza.
Eavesdropper