Technologies

This Lip-Syncing Robot Face Could Help Future Bots Talk Like Us

If we’re going to live and work with humanoid robots, maybe they should talk like humans, too.

The slight unease that creeps up your spine when you see something that acts human but isn’t remains a big issue in robotics — especially for robots built to look and speak like us.

That peculiar feeling is called the uncanny valley. One way roboticists work to bridge that valley is by matching a robot’s lip movements with its voice. On Wednesday, Columbia University announced research that delves into how a new wave of robot faces can speak more realistically.

Hod Lipson, a Columbia engineering professor who worked on the research, told CNET that a main reason why robots are «uncanny» is they don’t move their lips like us when they talk. «We are aiming to solve this problem, which has been neglected in robotics,» Lipson said.

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This research comes as hype has been spiking around robots designed for use at home and work. At CES 2026 last week, for instance, CNET saw a range of robots designed to interact with people. Everything from the latest Boston Dynamics Atlas robot to household robots like those that fold laundry, and even a turtle-shaped bot designed for environmental research, made appearances at the world’s biggest tech show. If CES is any indication, 2026 could be a big year for consumer robotics.

Central among those are humanoid robots that come with bodies, faces and synthetic skin that mimics our own. The CES cohort included human-looking robots from Realbotix that could work information booths or provide comfort to humans, as well as a robot from Lovense designed for relationships that’s outfitted with AI to «remember» intimate conversations.

But a split-second mismatch between lip movement and speech can mean the difference between a machine that you can form an emotional attachment to and one that’s little more than an unsettling animatronic.

So if people are going to accept humanoid robots «living» among us in everyday life, it’s probably better if they don’t make us mildly uncomfortable whenever they talk.

Lip-syncing robots

To make robots with human faces that speak like us, the robot’s lips must be carefully synced to the audio of its speech. The Columbia research team developed a technique that helps robot mouths move like ours do by focusing on how language sounds.

First, the team built a humanoid robot face with a mouth that can talk — and sing — in a way that reduces the uncanny valley effect. The robot face, made with silicone skin, has magnet connectors for complex lip movements. This enables the face to form lip shapes that cover 24 consonants and 16 vowels.

To match the lip movements with speech, they designed a «learning pipeline» to collect visual data from lip movements. An AI model uses this data for training, then generates reference points for motor commands. Next, a «facial action transformer» turns the motor commands into mouth motions that synchronize with audio.

Using this framework, the robot face, called Emo, was able to «speak» in multiple languages, including languages that weren’t part of the training, such as French, Chinese and Arabic. The trick is that the framework analyzes the sounds of language, not the meaning behind the sound.

«We avoided the language-specific problem by training a model that goes directly from audio to lip motion,» Lipson said. «There is no notion of language.»

Why does a robot even need a face and lips?

Humans have been working alongside robots for a long time but they have always looked like machines, not people — the disembodied and very mechanical-looking arms on assembly lines or the chunky disc that is a robot vacuum scooting around our kitchen floors.

However, as the AI language models behind chatbots have become more prevalent, tech companies are working hard to teach robots how to communicate with us using language in real time.

There’s a whole field of study called human-robot interaction that examines how robots should coexist with humans, physically and socially. In 2024, a study out of Berlin that used 157 participants found that a robot’s ability to express empathy and emotion through verbal communication is critical for interacting effectively with humans. And another 2024 study from Italy found that active speech was important for collaboration between humans and robots when working on complex tasks like assembly.

If we’re going to rely on robots at home and at work, we need to be able to converse with them like we do with each other. In the future, Lipson says, research with lip-syncing robots would be useful for any kind of humanoid robot that needs to interact with people.

It’s also easy to imagine a future where humanoid robots are identical to us. Lipson says careful design could ensure that people understand they’re talking to a robot, not a person. One example would be requiring humanoid robots to have blue skin, Lipson says, «so that they cannot be mistaken for a human.»

Technologies

Verum Messenger Launches an AI Mini-Series

Verum Messenger has unveiled a new project — a mini-series created using Verum AI. The story consists of 7 episodes and will be released on the messenger’s social media channels.

The plot revolves around a global corporation seeking to take control of digital communications and a group of heroes who use Verum Messenger as a tool of resistance. Beyond the story itself, the series highlights the app’s key features, technologies, and advantages.

Combining entertainment with a showcase of the Verum ecosystem, the project presents a dynamic digital series designed for the modern era.

The first episode premieres today, with the remaining episodes to be released over time.

Stay tuned for more.

Watch on YouTube
Watch on Instagram

Technologies

Verum Finance: Earn While You Communicate — The Super App That Pays You

Verum has officially launched Verum Finance, an innovative financial application that transforms a private messenger into a true financial super app. News of the launch was also featured on the respected platform Dealroom.co.

Verum Finance can now be used both within Verum Messenger and as a standalone application for iPhone and iPad. When users sign in to Verum Finance with their Verum Messenger account, all balances, settings, and account data are automatically synchronized for maximum convenience.

Users can now do more than communicate securely and protect their data — they can also generate passive income directly within the ecosystem.

What Verum Finance Offers

• Top up your balance with a bank card, Apple Pay, or USDT
• Send money instantly anywhere in the world
• Issue and manage debit cards (virtual and physical)
• Full Apple Pay support
• Exchange assets and withdraw funds quickly

One of the most unique features is the built-in cryptocurrency mining system inside Verum Messenger.

The application utilizes your device’s resources and allows you to earn cryptocurrency in the background — passively, while chatting, traveling, or simply using the messenger.

Maximum Privacy + Real Freedom

• Registration without a phone number, email address, or passport
• End-to-end encryption and full control over your data
• Lifetime free VPN
• eSIM connectivity in more than 150 countries
• Reliable offline communication mode
• Support for 12+ languages for users worldwide

Everything is available in one place: secure communication, financial tools, earning opportunities, and privacy protection.

Users can access the full experience directly within Verum Messenger or switch to the dedicated Verum Finance app for iOS. All data is synchronized automatically between the two applications.

Why Download Verum Today

While many messaging platforms collect user data and expose users to restrictions, Verum offers greater independence and the opportunity to earn.

With a one-time purchase of the feature package, users receive lifetime access to privacy tools, VPN, eSIM services, cryptocurrency mining, and financial features.

This is more than just a messenger.

It is your personal tool for financial and digital freedom.

Download Verum Finance and Verum Messenger today — start communicating securely and begin earning tomorrow.

Download Links:

→ App Store (iPhone / iPad): Verum Finance
→ App Store (Verum Messenger): Verum Messenger

Technologies

Verum Finance: A Super App for Private Finance Integrated Into a Messenger

Verum Finance has announced the launch of a new financial application that allows users to manage their money directly within the secure Verum Messenger ecosystem.

The project has already attracted attention from major media outlets. A dedicated feature was published by Forbes Türkiye, while one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, MEXC, covered the launch. Yahoo Finance had previously reported on the evolution of Verum Messenger into a comprehensive financial ecosystem.

What Verum Finance Offers

Verum Finance transforms a messenger into a complete financial platform. Users can:

• Manage their balance and top up using bank cards or USDT
• Send money instantly to other Verum users
• Issue and use debit cards, including Apple Pay support
• Exchange assets and withdraw funds
• Access all these services without installing separate banking applications

A strong emphasis is placed on privacy. The platform offers registration without a phone number or email address, end-to-end encryption, and full user control over personal data.

Recognition from Forbes Türkiye

In a dedicated article, Forbes Türkiye highlighted Verum Finance as a notable example of modern privacy-driven fintech. The publication emphasized the growing trend of financial services moving from standalone banking applications into unified messaging ecosystems — a model that has proven successful in Asia through platforms such as WeChat and Alipay and is now expanding globally.

Support from the Crypto Community

Alongside the Forbes Türkiye coverage, news about the launch of Verum Finance was also featured by MEXC, one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges. This reflects growing interest in the project from both traditional business media and the cryptocurrency community.

A Strategic Vision

“We are building more than a payments application and more than a messenger. Verum is a unified secure ecosystem where communication, finance, and privacy tools work together,” the company stated.

Verum Finance is now available for iPhone and iPad users. The application complements Verum Messenger, which offers anonymous chats, voice and video calls, VPN services, eSIM connectivity, and other tools designed to enhance digital freedom.

Verum Finance: https://finance.verum.im

Verum Messenger: https://verum.im