If there was a particular gift that I would like to have, it would be the ability to understand all the different languages in the world. What a great gift that would be! I know of some people who are fluent in 6 or 7 languages, bless their souls, and the ease at which they switch from one language to another never ceases to amaze me. I suppose robots would be able to handle languages easily with enough processing power and the right kind of algorithm provided for them. Case in point, the fictional C3-PO from the Star Wars universe who is well versed as a protocol droid in thousands of galactic languages. This particular robot that you see above is not that nifty, but it is still able to carry out a conversation in 19 different languages.
Coming in a form factor that is roughly that of a toddler’s, it was constructed by Paris-based robotics company Aldebaran, where it was programmed with language-learning software which was developed by the voice-technology company known as Nuance. This robot is able to move around with a basic walking movement, and has the ability to develop its own personality each time it improves on its speech via repetition. Marine Fabrea, Aldebaran’s head of communications, shared, “He lives his life on your side at home. You can discuss with him, you can ask him to tell a story to your kids.