Hi-tech robot turns out to be man in suit

Hi-tech robot(ˈrōbət,ˈrōˌbät) turns out to be man in suit(so͞ot)

State(stāt) television(ˈteləˌviZHən) praised(prāz) the ‘modern(ˈmädərn)’ tech despite(dəˈspīt) photos revealing(riˈvēliNG) actor in costume

By Andrew Roth(räs)

A “hi-tech robot” shown on Russian(ˈrəSHən) state television has turned out to be a man in a suit.

Russia(ˈrəSHə)-24 praised the ersatz(-ˌzäts,erˈzäts,ˈerˌsäts) android(ˈanˌdroid) during coverage of a youth forum(ˈfôrəm) dedicated(ˈdediˌkātid) to robotics(rōˈbätiks), boasting(bōst) that “Robot Boris has already learned to dance and he’s not that bad”.

But sharp(SHärp)-eyed bloggers were dubious(ˈd(y)o͞obēəs). The Russian website TJournal listed questions about the robot’s performance: Where were Boris’s external(ikˈstərnl) sensors? Why did the robot make so many “unnecessary movements” while dancing?

And why did the robot look like a person would fit perfectly inside of it?

Later, photographs(ˈfōtəˌgraf) of the “robot” posted on social media showed the very visible(ˈvizəbəl) neckline(ˈnekˌlīn) of the person in the suit.

Boris turned out to be an “Alyosha the Robot” costume made by a company called Show Robots.

The £3,000 costume, equipped(əˈkwip) with microphone(ˈmīkrəˌfōn) and tablet(ˈtablət) display, creates the “near total illusion(iˈlo͞oZHən) that before you stands a real robot”.

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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/12/high-tech-robot-at-russia-forum-turns-out-to-be-man-in-robot-suit