The world's first robot 'actress'

 

Japanese film-makers have created a robot movie star - by casting an android 'actress' in a lead role.

The robot co-stars alongside a human in the film 'Sayonara' set in the aftermath of a deadly nuclear power plant meltdown in Japan.

The android, called Geminoid F, was designed to look and act like a human with rubber 'skin' and a woman's face - but it is unable to walk and is wheeled around in the film.

 

Geminoid F - or Leona in the film - is referred to by director Koji Fukada as an 'actress,' and the android is even listed as a member of the cast in the end credits.

 

While robots have featured prominently in many films, most are played by real actors or created using visual effects. 

Geminoid F was produced by Hiroshi Ishiguro, a renowned robot designer at Osaka University in western Japan, whose androids come with a £776,000 price tag.