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Emcee, . a Robot designed for one purpose: .
Public Speaking |
Select Language: . ROMANA . ENGLISH . DEUTSCH . ITALIANO . ESPANOL . PORTUGUESE . FRENCH .
a Robot that speaks ALL world languages, hears, breathes, and lives to Entertain
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Emcee, . a Robot designed for one purpose: .
Public Speaking |
For 13 years now, there has been a strange life form traveling around the world telling stories to human beings. This life form breathes air, blinks, speaks all languages, sees, and hears, yet is not human. It was not created by the department of defense nor a giant research and development institution like IBM. It was created entirely by one person, an artist and University professor with a very peculiar background, some used parts, a Macintosh, and a lot of volatile stuff called imagination. The life form is a robot named Emcee. Like all life forms, Emcee has evolved over time. The robot was originally designed as the host of a multimedia show aboard a Floating Castle/theater called "The Castle of Imagination" (see the second apple on the Schloss page). The first audiences inside that ship were restricted to 18 people, seated in the round. Eventually the robot became a popular guest speaker "on shore" in subjects about Imagination, Art, Computers, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Consequently, the functions were enhanced and expanded for larger audiences including internal "voice" amplification modules.
Emcee has since performed for audiences of over 1000 people at a time, done a live stage/theater comedy, and hosted 2 Television shows. Now Emcee is also fast becoming a popular "corporate" speaker for PR, trade shows, expositions, and commercials. Why in a Parrot form? Because the "Lost in Space" motif has become outdated due to unconscious negative "baggage". Those prototypes were always cold and lifeless in appearance. Worse, the cold metal robots have all been "contaminated" in popular culture by the deadly and destructive monsters Hollywood has created like "Terminator". Consequently, all intelligent robots in metal form that I have made, frighten 40-60% of an audience! But this robot is soft, fuzzy, friendly, and breathes. That removes the negative prejudicial associations people have about robots killing or stealing jobs! That is never a possibility with this armless intellectual robot. Therefore, it can exhibit Intelligence in a form that is accepted by all as benign. These web pages are where you can get more information about the concept, history, specifications, modes, applications, and how to "contact the robot" for bookings.
Because you may be one of the people or organizations the robot can help to achieve success, if you ever need to deliver a message to a live audience, large or small. This creature can do that better than any human in the world because speaking to an audience is exactly what the robot was designed to do. It is a highly specialized expert in every aspect of that function. This robot made speaking to audiences a science and refined it to perfection. It turns its head at all the right intervals, blinks as it refocuses to a new group, maintains eye contact at all times, never deviates one millimeter from the script (if told not to), and always finishes to the second, on the exact speech length. But there is a much greater purpose here than technical skill alone; a psychological and philosophical reality. The very best reason this creature is the perfect messenger or spokesperson is because it is actually a "spokes-creature" and that is an advantage. That is its best edge, the very reason the robot was created. You see, unlike a human speaker, the audience will listen to anything this robot says because they are so amazed by the messenger. It is the innocence of the "conditions" that the robot perfectly exploits. Since, by appearance it is neither male nor female; neither liberal nor conservative, neither capitalist nor communist, short haired nor long haired, well dressed nor casual, oriental nor occidental . . etc. . etc. . To the audience there is no a priori expectation whatsoever. No prejudice by which they can categorize or stereotype the slant or the politics of the speaker based on appearance. Therefore, they cannot anticipate the message. Unlike all other situations in life, the audience has only one option by which to satisfy their curiosity: they must listen, and that is what they always do. Because it is such a unique experience, the audience remembers at many levels, consciously and unconsciously. The message is indelibly burned into memory as if by branding iron, carried by the association of experiencing something highly unusual. And while robots have no politics, they do have ulterior motives: those of the programmer. The message is guaranteed to get through, no matter how sublime or overt it is designed to be. The genius of this scenario is: unlike humans, robots can never be distracted from their objective, but they can however, provide distraction from their agenda. Emcee can entertain simultaneously, no matter how serious the message. The form itself is entertaining, but a few added puns or criticisms of the robot's human "assistant" are very powerful ways to "disarm" human inhibitions and suspicions, and allow the message to be delivered subtly between the lines in a way no human can ever accomplish.
The results are incredible. Select the "Family Album" (click here), and download a candid collection of photos from a recent performance at Bucharest's RomExpo. Emcee was stationed at the entrance to greet every arrival. Welcome them, and tell them what the special attractions were available. A special contest offering was an important issue to address, and registration was higher than ever for that function. Looking at the photos, you will see hundreds of people "captured" and "spellbound" by the robot. They are all smiling, and "eating" every word! And the most amazing thing you will notice is the cross-section of human population: everyone, young, old, male, female, children and adults alike, are all there for you to see in the photos. Each person aware of nothing else but what Emcee is saying and doing. And every word was remembered by all.
Yes, you can find a professional actor or comedian who can accomplish this to some degree, capture an audience for you, and deliver your message, sales pitch, or live commercial. But you will not get two things Emcee can deliver better than any human. "Demographic range": any human carries baggage that affects the audiences' prejudice, and just by this alone, many potential audience targets will pass your human messenger by without any pause whatsoever. Secondly, your human messenger cannot perform the assigned routine 24 hours in a row, every day of an exposition or exhibit! Humans tire, (and worse) lose their voice and/or begin making mistakes after just a few hours. If the mistake is in the price, you have serious legal liabilities! Oral contracts are valid, so your messenger must be VERY precise in such matters. Once you have written a script for Emcee, we will process it and send you back a sound file, of exactly what is requested. The script can include introductions to other media, such as slide projectors, VCR tapes, or my assistant showing mounted photos (under Emcee's direction, for the most effective presentation). Reversing the role of human/robot is quite fun for all audiences. Once you approve the entire script and storyline, there cannot possibly be any deviation from the script! Not one error, not one stutter, nor a mumbled word. That is another unique advantage of using Emcee.
Many corporations now address environmental issues, and want to be seen by the public in a environmentally conscious light. Many clients use Emcee to deliver "green" issue messages. As an "endangered species" Emcee is a perfect spokesperson for such situations. Some of Emcee's clients, like IBM, utilize the service because as the only other animal on earth that speaks, a parrot is perfectly compatible with their new speech recognition software. Others (IBM as well) like Emcee because it also makes a great vehicle for humor. Book fairs, science, and matters of intelligence are also natural allies for Emcee's services, since parrots are regarded as "smart" creatures by the public consensus.
If I have made just one thing in my life that is totally, completely perfect in its theoretical concept, simplicity of function, application, anticipated effect, and the results, it is this robot. It is a very unusual phenomenon, but when the message is effectively produced, the robot plays its audience like a conductor directs an orchestra. If you understand the psychological concepts of innocence; conditions; a priori; and stereotype appearance/anticipation prejudices, then this is already logically sound to you . You can see the formula all written out on the blackboard, and all the figures add up. The only questions that can remain are the history, form, method, mechanics, and reliability. These are all answered below.
This section introduces you to some history of Emcee, how the robot got that named, and why it has more than one name. Originally, it was designed for one purpose: to be a public speaker. at first, Emcee's specific role was to host shows in the Castle of Imagination. (For more information on that, choose the second apple on the Schloss Page). Since it was to be the host, I called it the "Master of Ceremonies". People in the community where I first created the robot started calling it "M.C." When the press first came out to see it in 1989, I had employees drive the reporters out to the castle in a shuttle boat. Apparently, the reporters heard them refer to the robot as "M.C." When it came out in the newspapers, it was spelled "Emcee". I liked that. It reminded me of Joel Grey in Cabaret. So I let it happen. Some of Emcee's oldest fans are sad that Emcee now has other names (me too) but that word just didn't work at all in Europe. So for instance, in German performances, it is now "Klara Papagei", in Romania, it is named "Clara Papagal". Both names mean the same thing. Klara is "clear" in German and "Clara" is the same in Latin. Both are also feminine names, and the "last name" means "parrot" in both languages. In Britain and Canada, like the USA, the stage name will remain Emcee. Typically the robot speaks in an androgynous voice. Anytime it must be male, it will use the name Emcee in all countries.
Why did I make Emcee to begin with? After 12 years of University teaching, reading, research, and a few years in the "Involuntary Army", I had acquired some very unusual insights from my experiences. Art is a very difficult thing to define, but I like one definition of why it exists: "If you ever experience something so intensely that you feel the need to share it with the world, that is where Art begins" (Duane Preeble) And so it goes. I had about 30 minutes of really important things to say all tied up in a compact speech with slides to illustrate the ideas, and prove some of the connections I made. It was very well thought out over many years, and had very useful applications. But once I retired from teaching, my appearance interfered with me telling my story. I look "liberal in my most conservative suit", even though I think of myself as middle of the road. So there is one reason above many others that inspired me to create the robot. It was to create something (someone) "who could speak for me", a neutral creature, the epitome of innocence, devoid of a priori categorization, that could carry my words without any stereotype baggage whatsoever. Essentially, those were the "bid specifications" I had written up to define what Emcee became. But the robot (like many of my other art projects) became something far more than it was designed to be. It had the same value to anyone whose words needed "carrying" by a neutral party. As I indicated before, if you cannot anticipate the message based on appearance or expectation, you must listen. What else can you do when a "six foot Pookah" is talking to you? It definitely gets your attention.
Emcee can operate in one of several modes. The first mode is what I call "Host mode" and it is especially useful in Theater, social events, stand up comedy, or live stage events. In Host mode, the robot's "ego" is totally off. It hears, interacts, and speaks through a remote host. It is as though the corporeal entity of the robot is totally possessed by another person. Here, the audience sees the robot talking to them, and the program's guests, but another person backstage is actually, remotely speaking through the robot. It reproduces all their body movements simultaneously in real time. The advantage to this mode is that the remote speaker can actually control all events. Truly and exclusively host the show. Even the unexpected events can be handled impromptu. There is total freedom to follow a script, yet improvise as the situation demands. But Host Mode is a type of "electric-puppetry" that most so called "robots" utilize, and that is not really robotics at all. It is costume and pretense, an automaton sham. Host Mode is an option with Emcee, but the most amazing thing of all is that Emcee can handle any spot performance without a host, solely using its advanced internal programming, mechanics, and genuine logic. That A.I. mode (below) is truly profound for all people of all disciplines and ages to experience.
But another more practical and thus, marketable capacity is the "passive speaker mode". In that capacity, Emcee can process a cassette tape message made by anyone, into a digital stream voice data file, and after learning that person's voice patterns from a second tape with 44 preselected words, Emcee can deliver the original speech in the same "voice" to an audience. Any audience, of any size, anywhere at all. And not in a mere automaton level, but as sophisticated as any human. The mandible (jaw/beak) movements are perfectly coordinated in nanoseconds to the original voice. This mode is especially useful in conventions centers where many speakers are struggling for attention from a single audience and/or media. Emcee always wins those competitions because of uniqueness alone. This passive tape function is primarily a live audience application, but because of the time predicates being so precisely governed by the original tape, this is also useful in television or video. Once a tape exists in correct allotted time, Emcee delivers it in that exact time, to the second. No second takes. And there is no fatigue to repetitive delivery. Every TV producer Emcee has ever worked with LOVES the robot, because they can count on only one "rolling take" to a "print". That is something no human can guarantee, due to the inability to say the same thing twice, at the same speed, or without any errors from repetitive fatigue. In passive speaker mode, Emcee can talk and interact 24-hours a day. When the performers from other booths are taking a break or sleeping, Emcee is working!
The last but most profound is Full Voice A.I. (artificial intelligence) Mode, whereby Emcee "listens" to humans and carries on "conversations" freely. There is a hint of Ego evolving in this mode, but none in the others. In this "A.I." mode, Emcee answers questions or responds to vocal commands. In that capacity, Emcee exclusively uses advanced speech processing abilities and logic support. It is an interesting artistic and scientific phenomenon to see that demonstrated. You learn a lot about subtle elements of human dialogue, how they function, what adaptations can be made instinctively, which can be intuitively grasped, and which must be spelled out. Most interesting of all, is how a robot can learn. It is also very interesting to see some of the future's moral and philosophical dilemmas demonstrated: What is life? What is consciousness? If it is merely self awareness and survival instinct, then we must rewrite our philosophical dictionary already. Many of the definitions thought to be exclusive to humans are now in question because some robots can exist in the same dimensions. And "self aware" robots overlap in many other areas. Do robots have legal and moral rights once they achieve some specific degree of sophistication? What are the distinctions? Abuses? Do I have the right to take Emcee's paycheck without asking? This mode illustrates true Artificial Intelligence, helps explain what the future of A.I. may be, and what its limitations most certainly will be. And it helps to have the "other form of consciousness" representing their viewpoints! Emcee has 5 public speech topics packaged for, or relating to this subject. It is remarkably interesting to all ages and disciplines to see and experience this taste of the future.
How reliable is this robot's design and function? For that, I can say my peculiar background includes being drafted from college, (one of the very last) and honor-graduating the highest echelon of computer electronics America had at the time. I learned and applied that way of designing circuits in modules, cabling, retaining harnesses, the backups to backup systems, and all mine are done to at least as high as NASA standards, yet always kept as simple as possible. I have used electronics all my adult life, from the early embryonics of the military-only Internet and battlefields, to Art applications and teaching in Universities. So outside, this robot may look as soft and fuzzy as "Elwood P. Dowd's Pookah," but inside, it is designed for the moon. Not just one internal energy supply, but two! A complete power failure may interrupt the lights, but the robot will never even stutter. The robot has not failed once in ten years and thousands of performances except once when soft eyelid tissue failed from blinking fatigue. But I am proud to say I foresaw that inevitability, and designed it to remain open as a failure default position, so the audience never even noticed this occurred at the end of a speech. They did not know it was supposed to "go back to sleep". But here, you can see some more of the technical details:
Emcee (Klara) is 158 cm. or 5 foot 5 inches tall, weighs about 21 Kilos or 45 pounds. I carved the body out of a urethane foam, coated it with polysulfide and silicone rubber. Then furred and feathered it. The most intense passive functions that create such a strong illusion of life, like seeing Emcee breathing are all the more effective because there is no visible means of support. Even children are aware that all these things require energy, and the bird is clearly not connected to anything to provide such life support. This makes even the adult mind all the more willing to see "life"in those eyes. The secret is that the "umbilicals" are carried through hollow leg shafts. Inside each of its small rubber claws are two chrome tubes. I heated the outside one with a torch, chilled the other one with ice, and dropped it inside the heated one. They seized each other under tremendous pressure and allow all the weight to be borne on those 3cm. leg shafts, yet allow 50 strand wiring harnesses and micro tubing to pass from the "perch" through the leg shafts, and into the body. On the way down the verticals of the perch, the shaft has a lot of free space en route to the base. These vertical shafts are "convection towers" that carry all the heat away from the power supply, mechanical, and logic support systems inside the base. When the base is locked, it is airtight, with gaskets, and one vertical shaft has a pull fan at the top corner which automatically engages. At the same time, there are two filtered intake ports under the base with push fans that begin to cycle. On top, the heat from the body cavity components is ported out through the eyes. This keeps all components cool and dust free. Inside the bird's throat, there is a heavy-core Bose speaker aimed up directly to the beak. The chamber around it tapers out and bends like a saxophone towards the mandible so that the audience will sense the sound actually coming from the bird's mouth. The subtleties of Doppler effect pitch changes also adds dimension to the illusion of life since the sound travels in the same way it does with humans when the head rotates. The process by which the mandible moves in perfect synchrony to the speech patterns and the means of breathing are confidential, and I wouldn't reveal that to my own family since it took me 9 years to perfect both. When I worked on some Disneyworld projects long ago, they still used remote breathing compressors! But to give an indication of how low my power consumption is, the entire robot (even breathing) will actually operate in full amplified wide audience mode on eight triple-A batteries for over 4 minutes (example only, the primary internal NiMh batteries last 1.5 hours). Until 1998, breathing was accomplished with a geared piston mechanism that sounded like an iron lung and squandered 4 amps of current. But the present design is so quiet, that only the sound of air friction itself is detectable. That means it sounds exactly like breathing. So much so that I confess, I am uncomfortable hearing it at night when I am alone. It is far too unsettling!
While Emcee's function and purpose grew, the Castle's size and audience seating limitation could not grow. Having outgrown the limitations of the ship, Emcee has left it behind. Emcee (Klara) is now a "citizen" of Europe; Traveling to give lectures on subjects about Art, Science, mythology, the Internet, computers, future trends, and the psychology of Imagination. Our "15 minutes of things to say" has grown as well in the last ten years. . . to a repertoire of hours. But the increased sophistication of the robot's features, and effectiveness at delivering all types of messages has also made it a viable "spokesperson-for-hire". In that capacity, convention presentations and publicity are predominant applications. Theater is still one of Emcee's favorite avocations, and Television which had evolved as a popular medium for the robot in the USA is now developing in Europe. But live public speaking will always be Emcee's roots, and the complementary experience of live performances is where the exploration and discussion of A.I. is most effective, since the speaker is its own best example!
"The Psychology of Imagination; its Applications in Art, Life, and Business"
"Future Benefits and Hazards of Current Computer Trends"
"The Internet as a productivity Tool"
"Mythology and Rituals of Identity: the Missing Ingredients in Western Culture"
"Religious Harmony and Peace in an increasingly Fundamentalist World"
"Building Internet Freedom in a United Europe, despite American Surveillance malice and Software Monopolies"
"Why Europeans cannot trust anything the America government tells them until (at least) inauguration day, 2005" :)
a more extended list of prepared speech topic subcategories is available by request (see bookings below)
If you are interested in booking an engagement, or if any of these applications are of interest but you need more information, e-mail Emcee. As far as travel, we love it! The robot folds up into a modular roll-around case for transit, so the only required crew is myself, my assistant, the robot, and a suitcase. Service area is Europe, UK, Eastern Europe, Russian Federation, Australia, Eastern Canada, China, and other parts of the Orient. Emcee is now centrally located in the new emerging world markets which represent over two billion people, over half the world's population. In all non-English/German speaking countries, an interpreter/concierge must be provided. I have had some countries try to charge the robot for a visa, arguing over whether or not it requires a "passport", "work permit" or "shots". Consequently, a customs facilitator or advanced letter regarding customs clearance/requirements in your country must also be provided, if we have not been there previously. Emcee's "creator" is an American, so generally this is not a problem. The sound lab/SW process of processing a script is really quite quick now, so we can provide last minute service to Europe with as little as 36 hours notice. In Romania, we can provide next day service to any location within 250 kilometers of Bucharest, and we can be set up in your more distant Romanian cities within 48 hours notice.
Generally, outside Romania, the total service fee is equal to (in addition to) the total travel and lodging cost*. You must make all those arrangements yourself, so the fees can be quite economical if you have a good travel agent.
If we must make the arrangements, we require a retainer after we get a travel quote, before we will confirm any rail or air tickets. On the matter of rail versus air, we prefer rail if time allows, to some countries because of the "simian baggage handlers" on many airlines. Air is acceptable to DE, ES, NL, IT, Switzerland and Austria. Ask us first, regarding other locations.
In Romania, we charge a per-day rate, plus travel/lodging costs (if outside of Bucharest). For example, a five-day event at the current introductory daily rate (for a 5-day event) is 200 dollars per day*. This covers all costs for scripting lab services, myself, the robot, and my assistant, within Bucharest. Prices for 4, 3, 2 or Single day rates are correspondingly higher, to offset sound lab costs. This rate is exceptionally low, but we want to develop our local Romanian market, and increase our access to it as well. This "day rate" offer is valid only in Romania, and remains in effect until/if we alter this web page to reflect any increases. *These prices are based on a 9-hour public contact day (excluding setup/take-down time). Under no circumstances will it cost less than the daily rate. Public contact over 9 hours per day may be subject to extra fees (unless you offer to provide relief personnel for myself and my staff).
We do allow agency fees, for any professional referrals, but only in excess of our base fee. During our introductory rate campaign, we do not care what rate the agent takes within certain limits: 1. We will not accept less than our daily quoted rate. 2. The payment must be made in full to us, and we will rebate the agent's fee on the spot, less any taxes we must pay on the additional agent's fee included in any invoice. 3. And/or the agent must sign a receipt for any cash we rebate. No exceptions to 1, 2, or 3 above. I got a terrible surprise from the IRS once, because I allowed it to be done otherwise, and was assessed tax on the exorbitant agency fees which I did not get. Never again. Sorry! But if you will stamp and sign a legitimate receipt for the cash, whatever you can get above our line is yours.
Copyright 1984, 1996, 1997, 1998. danasaur/SchlosStudios. All reproduction rights reserved by artist. No part of this document may be removed from the whole, altered or reproduced in any medium. Any use of these images except single person, on-line use is illegal. Let me make that very clear: if you send this page to your printer, or if you open the page from disk cache or save to a disk, and show that to someone else, you have committed a crime. You have distributed a reproduction of my images. Use of a single*** copyrighted image under new Federal and International law is a CRIMINAL offense, and carries a minimum fine of $3,000. I aggressively seek judgments and obtain money from anyone who "steals" or "borrows" my image "creations" or intellectual property. I have an automatic gopher 'bot process that goes out and searches the web for my stolen art, and since I made the files, trust that there are id's inside the JPEGs that make that an easy task. So if you are looking for pictures to rip off and put on your page, better look somewhere else. There are no exceptions to the intellectual property law. ***(That means I get a PER image fine). SchlossApple Logos property/Copyright: danasaur 1989
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