Russia’s ‘Revolutionary’ High-Tech AI Robot Turns Out To Be Human In Robot Costume

Russian state television covered a robotics forum this week in order to get young people into the field. They also had something pretty cool to share: Boris, “the country’s most modern robot,” who’s so advanced that it “has already learned to dance and he’s not that bad.” The problem is that Boris was a little too modern, and that’s because he wasn’t really a robot at all but a man in a robot costume. Well, then!

  1. There’s nothing Boris couldn’t do. In addition to dancing, Boris also held a seamless conversation with the conference hosts, proclaiming his love of mathematics and his desire to learn to draw. He did another interview later that same day in which he showed off such agile movements, people started to get a little suspicious.
  2. Robots can’t move like people. While we’re getting better at programming AI to be more human-like, there’s no mistaking these machines for men. Not only that, but Boris’s shape was a bit odd in that he was shaped exactly like a man, without the metal hinges we see on actual robots.
  3. An investigation was launched soon after. TJournal questioned how Russian scientists were able to create something so advanced “without publishing any intermediate results.” Also, where were all the hinges? Other footage from the event was scrutinized and it was plainly clear that Boris also had a human neck, which is… not possible, right?
  4. Boris was actually a man in an Aloysha the robot suit. The suit was made by a company called Show Robots which are pretty cool, but definitely not based on advanced robotic. Russia24 later claimed they never said Boris was a real robot at all, but looks like they were just trying not to get caught.

Bolde has been a source of dating and relationship advice for single women around the world since 2014. We combine scientific data, experiential wisdom, and personal anecdotes to provide help and encouragement to those frustrated by the journey to find love. Follow us on Instagram @bolde_media or on Facebook @BoldeMedia
close-link
close-link
close-link
close-link