World's first AI LEGO robot head that talks like human gets new life
Technology
Dave’s mouth mechanism has more gears than his entire head
(Web Desk) - When Sten decided to build Dave, he didn’t imagine people around the world embracing the world’s first AI LEGO robot the way they did.
The 17-year-old Dutch and brains behind the Creative Mindstorms put out a video late last year, showcasing Dave’s capabilities.
A marvel made of LEGO blocks and gears, Dave boasts as uncanny a resemblance as can be to humans, complete with a wig that makes up for a head full of hair.
A pair of eyes that roll at your worst jokes, supplemented by eyebrows that raise adds to the realism.
A mouth with moving corners and a jaw that moves up and down gives Dave the appearance of speaking and emotions as he responds to prompts and questions.
At the heart of Dave’s abilities is an integration with ChatGPT. This allows Dave to engage in natural, flowing conversations, making interactions feel remarkably real.
Dave is bilingual and speaks English and Dutch fluently. Dave can even play games like rock-paper-scissors.
Building the AI-powered LEGO robot was no small feat. Sten spent weeks designing complex mechanisms, such as the system moving Dave’s eyes. With more gears than the entire head, the mouth alone took two weeks of his time.
Nearly 1,100 lines of code power allow Dave to track hands and faces, recognize faces and objects, read text, count, estimate emotions, age, and gender, and even tell time and weather.
While a shortage of LEGO blocks for his other projects forced Sten to dismantle Dave, a flurry of fan comments, support from viewers, and channel monetization, has made it possible for the creator to rebuild Dave.
Sten took to YouTube, documenting the process, his excitement, and the challenges involved. “I’m going to rebuild him in this video, so uh… Excited! Let’s get to it,” the young creator announced.
Sten began rebuilding the AI-powered LEGO robot, guided by pictures he had taken during deconstruction and spurred on by a song written for the occasion by ChatGPT and music-producing AI Udio.
Despite his excitement, the process was not without frustration. Sten frequently encountered missing pieces and had to carefully review photos to ensure accuracy. “This took many hours, but now an almost complete Dave is on its way,” he notes.
A more worrying sign lay on the software front. As Sten progressed, he realized that some parts of Dave’s software were outdated. The Dutch creator highlighted the changes needed, including a new way to interact with the ChatGPT API.
