Question

How is Sophia different from previous robotic varients?

Questions 41-50: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. Sophia is a social humanoid robot developed by David Hanson. Sophia was activated on February 14, 2016 and made its first public appearance in mid-March in Texas, United States. It is marketed as a 'social robot' that can mimic social behaviour and induce feelings of love in humans. In November 2017, Sophia was named the United Nations Development Programme's first Innovation Champion, and is the first non-human to be given a United Nations title. A paper describing of one of Sophia's open-source subsystems, called 'Open Arms', was submitted to the 36th Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems in 2022. The robot, modelled after the ancient Egyptian Queen Nefertiti, Audrey Hepburn and its inventor's wife, Amanda Hanson is known for its human-like appearance and behaviour, compared to previous robotic variants. Sophia imitates human gestures and facial expressions and is able to answer certain questions and to make simple conversations. Hanson has said that he designed Sophia to be a suitable companion for the elderly at nursing homes, to help crowds at large events or parks, or to serve in customer service, therapy. In the year 2017, Sophia was scheduled to appear at the Future Investment Summit in Riyadh. At the Summit, the host interviewing Sophia announced-"We just learned, Sophia -I hope you are listening to me - you have been awarded what is going to be the first Saudi citizenship for a robot". The announcement of the Saudi administration made Sophia the first robot to receive legal personhood in any country.

• A. Sophia's beauty
• B. Sophia's software
• C. Sophia's human-like appearance and behaviour
• D. None of the above

Answer 1

Answer:

C. Sophia's human-like appearance and behaviour

Sophia is different from previous robotic variants due to its human-like appearance and behavior. Unlike earlier robots, Sophia can mimic human gestures, facial expressions, and engage in simple conversations, making it more relatable and socially interactive. Its design incorporates features inspired by Queen Nefertiti, Audrey Hepburn, and Amanda Hanson, giving it a more natural and lifelike look compared to earlier, more mechanical robots. This allows Sophia to simulate social behaviors, making it capable of inducing emotional responses and interacting in a more human-like manner.