Video: Robot sketches trade show attendees

Franhofer Institute showed off a robot at the Cebit IT fair in Germany last week that could sketch showgoers. The bot would first capture an image of its subject with a camera. Then software would break the image down into the most important lines of which the robot would draw. It drew on a dry erase board and when it was done, proudly showed the crowd. The robot wasn’t made by Fraunhofer, only programmed by the research group. It wasn’t the centerpiece of the group’s booth either, rather an attraction to gather a crowd…which it accomplished. At tech trade shows where thousands of vendors are vying for the attention of showgoers, having some eye candy like this robot is a good way to attract attention. With reporting by Peter Sayer, Nick Barber, IDG News Service.