Giulio Di Sturco

You might well have heard of Sophia, a humanoid robot built by Hong Kong-based company Hanson Robotics. Although she’s not a human, she resembles one in more than just facial features. She interacts with people, she can reportedly recognize faces, and she can mimic 62 human facial expressions. So how do you photograph something (or someone) that so closely resembles a human, yet isn’t actually a real human?

Italian-born photographer Giulio Di Sturco had a chance to take portraits of this humanoid robot and her expressive silicone face. But even more than that: he was granted exclusive permission to explore the story behind Sophia and the lab where she was made.