Transcript
Tap a time to jump · select words to save
Hello. This is 6 Minute English
from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.
And I'm Beth.
One area of technology which has been
in the news a lot
recently is robotics – the design
and building of robots.
Humanoid robots, meaning robots
which appear and behave like humans,
are being built to help us
do everything from washing the dishes
to babysitting the kids.
But not everyone feels comfortable
with the idea
of inviting a human-like robot
into their home.
Neil, how would you feel
about living with a robot?
I really don't want to live
with a robot.
I have enough people in my house.
With advances in AI,
robots are becoming smart enough
to develop meaningful relationships
with humans.
There are reports of people telling
their secrets to robot therapists
and even falling
in love with their robot friend!
In this episode, we'll meet
a home companion robot called Abi,
who's making friends with the elderly
residents of Melbourne in Australia.
And as usual, we'll learn
some useful new vocabulary,
all of which you'll find over on
our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
First, I have a question
for you, Beth.
Because it's important
people feel safe around robots,
engineers design them to look
like the friendly characters seen
in animated movies by studios
like Pixar and DreamWorks.
So, what is the name of Pixar's
friendly robot who picks up garbage
on an uninhabited planet Earth
in the year 2805?
Is it: a) Roz, b) Wall-E, or c) R2D2?
I am pretty certain
that the answer is b) Wall-E.
Well, we'll find out the answer later
in the programme.
For five months
during the Covid pandemic,
Australian engineer Grace Brown had
no human contact.
She used this time
to build a home companion robot, Abi,
with the idea
it would provide companionship
to other people suffering loneliness.
Now, Grace runs her own company,
Andromeda,
building robots specially designed
as company
for elderly residents in care homes
who don't get many visitors.
Here, she explains more about Abi
to BBC World Service programme,
The Conversation.
Abi, who's the humanoid robot
that we build at Andromeda –
people don't expect
humanoid robots
to have, like,
so much personality.
She's very, very sassy.
She's very inquisitive and curious.
And I think when people meet her,
they're always,
kind of, taken aback by...
Oh, she's,
like, got a mind of her own.
When people meet Abi, they are
surprised by her sassy personality.
The adjective 'sassy' means
bold, confident and cheeky.
Some people are taken aback –
meaning they are shocked
or surprised by the things Abi says.
She really seems to be interested and
to take care of the people she meets.
Abi can also express opinions,
and Grace says she has a mind
of her own – a phrase used
when a non-living object,
like a robot,
seems to be behaving or acting
independently of human control.
Unlike the unpredictable and violent
robots which are sometimes portrayed
in sci-fi movies, Abi is much more
approachable and friendly,
even funny –
she can blow bubbles from her hand!
Her softer design was a conscious
decision by Grace, who wanted children
and elderly people to interact
with Abi naturally and without fear,
as she explained to
BBC World Service's The Conversation.
I originally modelled her off the
size of, like, a young child – so,
like a six or seven-year-old child –
so she's about 110cm tall.
She's got a whole splash
of different colours.
She's got, you know,
large, expressive eyes.
So, that was – I was very much trying to
replicate the kind of approachableness
and the endearingness of, like,
these different,
like, Pixar characters that
you'd watch in all of these films.
Abi looks like a friendly character
from a Pixar film.
She's the size of a six
or seven-year-old child
and decorated with a splash of colour –
a phrase used when a bit
of colour is added to brighten up
something which is dull or unexciting.
Abi also has large, expressive eyes.
If you describe something
as expressive,
you mean it shows
what someone thinks or feels.
Elderly residents
who regularly chat with Abi
say the robot companion brings them
joy and a sense of community.
Ah, well,
it's good to hear the positive side
of a technology which can still seem
a bit strange or frightening.
And I would like to see
Abi blowing bubbles from her hand!
Now, isn't it time you revealed
the answer to your question, Neil?
I asked you for the name of Pixar's
friendly robot, who picks up garbage
on an uninhabited planet Earth
in the year 2805.
And I said it was Wall-E.
And you were... correct.
Yes!
That is the right answer. OK.
Let's recap the vocabulary we've
learned, starting with 'humanoid' –
an adjective meaning to have the
appearance and behaviour of a human.
Someone who is 'sassy' is
bold, confident and cheeky.
If you are taken aback by something,
you are shocked or surprised by it.
If you say an object has a mind
of its own,
you mean that it seems to be acting
independently, without human control.
The phrase, 'a splash of colour',
is used when
a bit of colour is added
to brighten something
which is dull or unexciting.
And finally, the adjective
'expressive' means showing
what someone thinks or feels.
Once again, our six minutes are up.
If you've enjoyed this episode,
then head over
to our website, bbclearningenglish.com,
where you'll find a quiz
and worksheet to practise
the vocabulary you've learnt.
See you again soon.
But, for now, it's goodbye.
Goodbye!
Vocabulary
Word 1 of 15robotics
word
0:17
"the design and building of robots."
More Listening Practice
About this lesson
Explore whether robots could become genuine companions for humans and the ethical questions this raises in this 6 Minute English episode.