The Japanese are fascinated with robots. Have they taken it too far with this HRP-4C by mixing robots with fashion?

“The girlie-faced humanoid with slightly oversized eyes, a tiny nose and a shoulder length hair boasts 42 motion motors programmed to mimic the movements of flesh-and-blood fashion models. “Hello everybody, I am cybernetic human HRP-4C,” the futuristic fashionista said, opening its media premiere at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology outside Tokyo.” [ABC]

The robot will be used for entertainment purposes. Weighing in at 43 kilograms with batteries and standing at 158 centimeters (average height of Japanese women 19-29), the robot will be a fashion figure for women in Japan. Will modeling companies shift to using robots instead of real women? It is funny, the Japanese have been pushing for a robot world for a while now. From several different models of the Honda Asimo to now HRP-4C.

At the press release, the seductive robot struck poses, smiled for the cameras as journalist’s commands were transmitted wirelessly from via Bluetooth devices. Apparently, this robot will hit primetime on March 23rd for the Tokyo fashion show. Will it be the dawn of perfect fashion shows with no mistakes?

Pretty impressive falls from the beautiful models above. Either way, I don’t think the robot will be impressive enough to replace real human models, especially at the hefty price of 200 million yen (3 million dollars).