Hong Kong native Ricky Ma has built a robot, named “Mark 1,” that looks exactly like actress Scarlett Johansson.
Though Ma declines to name the celebrity he modelled the robot after, in pictures it’s evident who the prototype is.
Ma, 42, says his inspiration was a childhood interest in animation and robots.
According to his website, Ma left the design industry after 24 years in order to fulfill his dream of working with robots.
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“I figured I should just do it when the timing is right and realize my dream,” Ma told Reuters. “If I realize my dream, I will have no regrets in life.”
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Over the past year and a half, Ma has spent over $50,000 to perfect his robot, including a wide array of scarily accurate facial expressions. (You can see them in this YouTube video, which has been blocked from embedding by Reuters.)
Ma had to learn electromechanics and programming in order to create the robot, and underneath its ScarJo exterior is a full 3D-printed skeleton, including a detailed ribcage and pelvic bone.
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Mark 1 can turn its head, speak programmed sentences and responses, and it can bow.
Ma insists that his robot can “lead the market in the world,” and could potentially be used for other purposes, including assistance or high-risk work. He’s hoping that an investor will be interested in his work.
Johansson is an apt choice for the robot design; the actress voiced a computer system in 2013 Oscar-nominated movie Her. (For the record, the robot’s voice is nothing like Johansson’s.)
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