Is Sprockit the robot an AI or a fake?

Question

I just attended a local technical conference and there was a robot roaming the building, talking to people. His name was Sprockit, and he was talking with people. He saw a guy and said "Hey dude, good to see you again" and the guy replied in a manner that implied that they had already talked. At one point Sprockit said "you're pulling my leg," the guy replied "you don't have legs" (he was on wheels), and he replied "well, you're pulling my leg anyway." I also talked with him, asked to shake hands (which we did), discussed seeing things at the conference, and I said something about him having good AI software, which he agreed with. His responses were quick and sounded natural, he was responding to sound and movement, and able to carry one a conversation in a crowd with a lot of ambient noise.

^{Image courtesy of the Sprockit facebook page}

My co-workers have all been asking where the person behind the curtain was. He certainly seemed too good to be an AI, but if he was controlled remotely, they had good microphones and cameras to pick up conversations with the crowd. Does anyone know if he is a real AI or not?

EDIT: I was looking for technical information, perferably from someone who had worked with it. Thus, it was originally asked in the Programmer's forum. Apparently some there thought that a guessed answer was what I was looking for. Even if there is no AI, it is still impressive software and hardware, because there has to be a fast wireless communication with the controller, stereo sound, cameras, and controllers.

Answer 1

There are only two things I can find out definitively:

• The robot's name is Sprockit or sometimes "Sprockit D. Robot"
• It appears to basically be a for-hire event novelty gimmick. (For example, see SPROCKIT the Robot at the Washington Talent Agency, as well as many event information dockets, such as this one)

Other information:

• Appeared on Regis & Kelly (calls the hosts by name without introduction)
• It appears to have been made by Lockheed Martin (source, source 2)
• Has a Facebook page
• Is advertised in this YouTube video

Observations:

• The purpose is very clearly "entertainment".
• Watching the videos, you see that the voice is very human-like and the behavior is somewhat comical.
• As an event novelty gimmick, the investment needed to develop such an "advanced" AI would be unlikely to pay off.
• In the forums it is used in (kids' science fairs, parties, business conferences), even a real AI would likely be less impressive to that audience than a Mechanical Turk.

Answer 2

If you have ever been to Disney World you might have met Push the Talking Trash Can:

The technology sounds very similar.

Push is controlled by a man in plain clothes, who keeps a small microphone in his hand and keeps his hands inside a bag with the transmitter and a joystick.

There is a picture here of the operator (black cap, white t-shirt, large black bag).

If you are observant, you could probably find a similar person near Sprockit.