I was considering some of the more intangible elements that make robots acceptable to us as a human society. Some of it is obviously usefulness, but I believe much is based around the anthropomorphic qualities we can imbibe into our mechanical companions. The last blog entry 'Digital Comedy' touched on this and, in all reality, was the catalyst for my train of thought.
If we look to the work already being performed by the developers that are part of the Nao Developer Program, there are already some fantastic example of anthropomorphic behaviour being developed. A personal favourite is the reluctant video star at Carlitos Contraptions.
What I have noticed is that all the videos I have seen to date utilise the standard Nao voice. The software in Nao has the capability to allow for the voice to be shaped using pitch, voice doubling (reverb) and speed. So my first Nao project will be to explore what can be achieved with the text to speech vocal output using the Nao voice shaping tools Aldebaran has given us. I will get something working and then report back here on my progress.