seattlepi.com Microsoft Blog: Makeover for Teddy

July 20, 2005

Makeover for Teddy

Teddy, the head-swiveling, interactive, child-monitoring Microsoft Research prototype that creeped out quite a few people when it debuted earlier this year, has lost the hat. Researchers displayed the revised bear (image at right) at the Microsoft Research Faculty Summit this week. The microphones formerly in his hat were attached to the chair. (You can see the row of mics directly below Teddy in the new picture.) The effect is to make him look slightly more like a normal teddy bear. But he still has those cameras for eyes, and it was the concept as much the appearance that creeped people out.

While aesthetics were a consideration in the change, the bigger reasons were technical, explained Steven Bathiche, a researcher from Microsoft's hardware group who is involved in the project. The microphone system works better when it's not moving with the head, although eventually the researchers hope to put the microphones back into the bear's head, in a more inconspicuous way.

"The hat didn't look all that great," Bathiche said.

However, he said the changes weren't made in response to the criticism about the teddy bear's creepiness. He said those criticisms seemed to overlook the fact that Teddy isn't a proposed product but rather a research project exploring the different ways that humans and computers might someday interact.

Posted by Todd Bishop at July 20, 2005 11:51 AM

Comments

has anyone tried to put the microphones in the pads of the bears feet?

Posted by: Aaron Harris at August 7, 2005 05:04 AM

Aaron... that would be too obvious!

Posted by: Richard Smith at August 7, 2005 01:41 PM

Obviously correct that is!

Posted by: Richard Smith at August 7, 2005 01:43 PM

But who will be watching the bear?

Posted by: Konu at August 12, 2005 01:42 AM

The teddy bear looks to scary because it is to bulky. The teady bear on the movie Artificial intelligence by Steven spielberg is more like the teddy everybody of all ages wants. He needs a softer look one that doesn't look so real. We all have a little bit of a child in us thats what you need to tap in to. Make him look softer. a teddy bear that looks good enough to cuddle. one that looks like you would want a pet to look like. Not one that lookes like it came out of a horror movie. Fantisy is what sells not reality. Anyway that is just my opinion the opinion of four children. I hope my input may be some what of a help. I think teddy is a great idea just needs to be softer.

Posted by: Tawnya King at August 30, 2005 08:49 PM

Posted by: Tawnya King at August 30, 2005 08:50 PM

ehm it's not only the soft hair, i think.
It also looks a bit evil because of it's proportions, a kind of gremlin. the eyes compared to the head are a bit to close to eachother. the torso is strange short compared to arms and feet, a normal tedy bear has a better balance. The mouth looks a bit long, could it bite? And for a teddy bear there's no need to have realistic feet. Perhaps take a look at a cheap normal bear to get proportions right. well just an idea.

I wonder what it is suposed to do whenever a child does something wrong, get after it?
or ... bite it :) (just kidding)

Anyway i wonder is this microsofts first attempt to build a robot?
What is microsofts future vision on robotics?.

Posted by: Peter at September 12, 2005 05:02 AM


Home \| Site Map \| About the P-I \| Contact Us \| P-I Jobs \| Home Delivery


101 Elliott Ave. W. Seattle, WA 98119 (206) 448-8000 Home Delivery: (206) 464-2121 or (800) 542-0820 Send comments to newmedia@seattlepi.com ©1996-2005 Seattle Post-Intelligencer Terms of Service/Privacy Policy