Shalu - a humanoid robot that speaks 47 languages

Mumbai : A Mumbai teacher has developed a humanoid robot that is capable of speaking 47 languages, including nine local and 38 foreign languages.

She speaks 9 Indian languages – English, Hindi, Bhojpuri, Marathi, Bangla, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam. The robot has been given a look of a female and interestingly it also speaks like a woman.

According to a report, Shalu is also capable of performing many human gestures such as shaking hands, smile and show emotions like anger.

Its developer Dinesh Patel told IANS, “Shalu has been developed using waste materials like plastic, cardboard, wood, aluminium etc. It took three years to develop it and the expenditure was around Rs 50,000.”

He said this is a prototype and it can recognise someone, memorise things, answer questions related to General Knowledge, Maths, etc.

“Shalu can greet people, display emotions, read newspaper, recite recipes and perform many other activities. This can be used as a teacher in schools and as a receptionist in offices too,” Patel added.

Currently, the robot has been made from plaster of paris but Mr Patel claims that she can be given a beautification in coming days with the help of a mask and then Shalu can be a perfect companion for office work and daily household chores.

“With more research and development in this area, humanoids can revolutionise our lifestyle forever”, says Patel.

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