A visit to the dentist is something that many children fear, with some youngsters thrashing around in the chair while the dentist tries to inspect their mouth.
Now, Japanese scientists have developed an eerily-realistic robot child, which they hope will make it easier for dentists to manage encounters with nervous patients.
The robot, called Pedia_Roid, can move its arms, legs, and eyes to mimic several human emotions, including anxiety, fear and resistance.
However, dental students hoping to try the robot themselves may be saving for a while – in its current iteration, Pedia_Roid costs a whopping 25 million Japanese yen (£153,000).
Japanese scientists have developed an eerily-realistic robot child, which they hope will make it easier for dentists to manage encounters with nervous patients
The robot, called Pedia_Roid, can move its arms, legs, and eyes to mimic several human emotions, including anxiety, fear and resistance
'Pedia_Roid not only develops symptoms but also throws a tantrum, forcing students to hold it down while trying to treat the child,' said Yui Kawakubo, CEO of tmsuk, the company behind the robot.
'It's an ultimate emergency simulator.'
The robot measures 3.6ft in height and weighs 50 pounds, making it around the same size as a five or six-year-old child.
It has a total of 24 degrees of freedom, and can move its head, mouth, tongue, eyelids, eyes, pupils, arms, legs, chest and even pulse.
Its mouth movements include opening and closing, sneezing, coughing and even vomiting.
'Featuring voice recognition, this robot can open its mouth according to the doctor’s instructions, changing the direction of its face, and perform actions such as unexpected movements and coughing,' tmsuk explains on its website.
'It can also realistically reproduce complex actions, such as jaw closing and vomiting reflex.'
Body movements include
