Repliee

There's humanoid, and then there's humanoid. In a chapter called "Android Dawn," Hornyak considers the arrival of much more lifelike machines such as Repliee, seen here with creator Hiroshi Ishiguro. Repliee was modeled after a popular, real-life TV presenter, right down to a specially pigmented silicone skin. Actuators in the android are powered by a refrigerator-size external air compressor, so Repliee can't get up and walk around, but she does feature a relatively wide range of motion and a library of subtle gestures. "The fidgety, slightly uncomfortable behavior is wonderfully human," Hornyak writes.