Makers of humanoid robot Sophia are building its sibling

Joyce will use data-in-picture technology and a multiple sensors to provide data to its AI, neural network and computer vision to increase visual perception

Humanoid robots Sophia and Joyce

(Subscribe to our Today's Cache newsletter for a quick snapshot of top 5 tech stories. Click here to subscribe for free.)

Five years after Hanson Robotics unveiled the world’s first humanoid robot Sophia, the robotics company is building its sibling, named Joyce.

The Hong Kong-based company is working with Immervision, a Canada-based artificial intelligence company, to develop Joyce’s body. Sophia’s sister will be equipped with a visual cortex which will have three ultra-wide-angle panomorph cameras, the company said in a statement.

Joyce will use data-in-picture technology and a multiple sensors to provide data to its AI, neural network and computer vision to increase visual perception.

The collaboration will help evolve machine perception to help deliver human-like vision , according to Immervision. The companies did not give a timeline for the development.

On meeting Sophia the Robot and how impactful it was

Immervision said it is seeking members to collaborate on this project by making a development kit available to developers, universities and technology companies. The kit will also enable the addition of sensors, software, AI algorithms to enhance Joyce’s capabilities, the company stated.

Sophia was unveiled in 2016, and was later made the first humanoid citizen of Saudi Arabia. Hanson Robotics is aiming to mass-produce robots by the end of the year, according to a Reuters report. Last month, a non-fungible token based artwork by robot Sophia went up for auction , a first sale of art jointly created with artificial intelligence.