It *is* capable of decent conversation. The guy controlling it just needs to talk -- consider it a way better version of AnyBots or any other telepresence robot. The only thing lacking is a huge portable air compressor to lug around the office :D Oh, pneumatics.

... but here's a new year's tune from Kyoto University's theremin-playing humanoid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzMmLQmUmRY

I don't know what your ties to the US are like, but I decided to come to Japan to do my Master's. Turns out there's a nice program to do it (google "monbukagakusho"). If you apply through your Japanese embassy and are selected (which you will be -- a lot of the people that apply just want to do research in Japan on manga, not computer science) then you get:

• Free tuition
• Monthly living stipend
• Japanese technology (my Master's right now is in music + robots)

Since I began here 1.5 years ago, they started ANOTHER program called "Global 30", which means they're recruiting 300,000 foreigners for research, Master's, and PhD's from now till 2020. All over Japan. Here's an example of the program from Kyoto University. http://www.opir.kyoto-u.ac.jp/kuprofile/e/courses/index.html There are lots of programs in different fields, at different universities (Waseda, Tokyo University, Osaka University), so just browse around for what you like.