A robot that can duplicate handwritten calligraphy has been developed by Seiichiro Katsura, Associate Professor at Keio University.
For the robot to copy the work, a calligrapher writes using a brush attached to the robot, allowing the robot to record information about the movement of the brush, including its angle and pressure. The robot's sensors take readings 10,000 times a second. Then the robot can recreate the brushwork using the information.
In an experiment, the robot was able to flawlessly recreate the kanji for a flower written in grass script by calligrapher Juho Sado, aged 89. Looking at the work, Sado was surprised and said, «It's like the brush is alive.»
Katsura said: "It was difficult to record and duplicate the writing pressure. By using this system, we can effectively learn the skills of a calligrapher, which previously had only been available through experience and intuition.
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