Jun 5, 2014 6:00 AM

Gallery: Photos of a Strange, Thriving Humanoid Robotics Movement

Photos by Luisa Whitton
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This "toddler" robot was developed by the Japanese Science and Technology Agency and is an example of a subculture of Japanese scientists trying to create robots that could pass as humans.
Photos by Luisa Whitton
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London-based photographer [Luisa Whitton](http://luisawhitton.com/) has captured their stories in a series called *What About the Heart?*

Photos by Luisa Whitton
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A scholarship provided Whitton with the opportunity to travel to Japan to meet with robotics pioneer [Ishiguro](http://www.geminoid.jp/en/index.html), who became famous in tech circles for having built an eerily creepy robotic copy of himself.
Photos by Luisa Whitton
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Ishiguro's Geminoid series of robots are some of the most lifelike synthetics ever assembled.

Photos by Luisa Whitton
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Ishiguro also introduced Whitton to roboticists who were pursuing less realistic humanoid robots.
Photos by Luisa Whitton
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Ishiguro's research also led to the development of the "Geminoid F" based on a female subject.

Photos by Luisa Whitton
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Unlike staged press events, Whitton's photos capture the robotic creations in process.
Photos by Luisa Whitton
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Ishiguro's robotic double is apparently enduring the existential pain that comes with facing one's own mortality.

Photos by Luisa Whitton
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Robotics is an exploding field, but most research is being directed to industrial applications, not prototype Terminators.
Photos by Luisa Whitton
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Ishiguro is known for using human hair to complete the charade.

Photos by Luisa Whitton
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Whitton was captivated by a term their creators used, *Sonzai-Kan*, which is essentially the notion that an object can contain the presence or spirit of its creator.
Photos by Luisa Whitton
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Hiroshi Ishiguro's robot acts serves a self portrait in addition to science project.

Photos by Luisa Whitton
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Despite the interest in lifelike bots, Japanese researchers haven't abandoned the *kawaii* either.
Photos by Luisa Whitton
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In the west, companies compete to make the best robotic arms. In Japan they're attempting to create the perfect foot.

Photos by Luisa Whitton
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Ishiguro's synthetic self-portrait made him question what it means to be human and how life-like machines can alter that definition and Whitton hopes to spread these questions by "using portraiture to illustrate the relationships between technology and identity."

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