D on¡¯t you hate it,¡± says Jon the Robot , gesturing with tiny articulated arms at an expectant crowd, ¡°when you¡¯re trying to solve inverse kinematics equations to pick up a cup and then you get ¡®Error 453, no solution found¡¯?¡± The crowd laughs. ¡°Don¡¯t you hate that?¡±
An experiment billed as a comedy act, Jon is the brainchild of Naomi Fitter, an assistant professor in the School of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering at Oregon State University. The tiny android performs when a handler (who must also hold the mic) presses a button, then tells the same jokes in the same order, like a grizzled veteran comic at a down-market Vegas casino.