Meet Cal

"Hi, nice to meet you. Welcome to Cradle Robotics."

John froze. He stared at the face that had just greeted him, unsure how to react.

He was a CES veteran. For over a decade, John hadn't missed a single show. He'd followed it as it migrated away from the States five years ago, witnessing innovations that pushed the boundaries of imagination.

CES Beijing had unveiled hydrogen-wing flying cars. Dubai showcased pet lions. Tokyo introduced the future of VR with neuro implants. Seoul brought revolutionary TV screens and the first commercially available solid-state battery. And now, here he was in Nairobi, staring at something he'd never seen before.

"I see you've met Cradle V1," a booth attendant said, noting John's stunned silence and the way his eyes traced every inch of the robot's face. "Or as we like to call him, Cal. We've spent years mapping the micro-expressions that define human emotions and cues, finally bridging the uncanny valley."

She continued, her voice taking on a practiced enthusiasm. "All facial motions are precise. We have a custom framework that enables our humanoid robot faces to completely mimic every expression possible with all 43 facial muscles. As you can see, it's incredibly realistic. Combined with his ability to walk like a human, Cal is almost indistinguishable from us."

Seeing she had captured John's full attention, the attendant turned to the humanoid robot and motioned for it to walk. Cal's eyes followed her hand gesture, then met John's gaze.

"Hey Cal, could you shake hands with Mr...?" She turned to John expectantly.

"John," he said, as though breaking from a trance.

"Mr. John," she repeated, looking back at Cal.

Cal stepped forward. The movement wasn't the whirring, jerky gait of a machine, it was a weighted, purposeful stride. He extended a hand.

"Hello, Mr. John. I'm Cal. You look surprised." The robot's voice was warm, curious. "Could you tell me what's so surprising?"

John reached out, his fingers meeting the soft, textured grip of the robot's hand.

He had seen humanoid robots over the years. Some better than others. But this one was different, smooth in its facial expressions, fluid in its movements. Yet none of that was as surprising as the fact that this was the first time he'd ever seen a Black humanoid robot.