Emotion and Sociable Humanoid Robots (Cynthia Breazeal) Yumeng Liao
Usually, robots are designed as autonomous entities Perform dangerous tasks in toxic environments Even in less dangerous tasks, human-robot interaction is minimal
HCI research by Reeves and Nass shows that “a social interface may be a truly universal interface” Humanoid robots can communicate using the human social interface (facial expression, posture, etc.)
Embodied system: human interacts with robot or animated avatar Social cues enhance robot’s message Robot must sense human’s embodied social cues
Embodied conversation agents Rea: real-estate agent in virtual world Steve: virtual-reality trainer
Human-friendly robots Sage: mobile museum tour Sony Aibo: children’s toy
Expressive-face robots Japanese robots with human-like faces: exampleexample
Kismet: expressive anthropomorphic robot Engages in natural and expressive face-to-face interaction 3 DoF gaze 3 DoF head orientation 15 DoF move facial features (eyelids, eyebrows, lips, ears)
1 narrow field of view camera in each eye 2 wide field of view cameras between eyes 1 microphone on each ear Person interacting wears microphone
Kismet to learn from natural and intuitive interaction with humans Kismet in action
Kismet’s behavior Satisfy 3 drives With 0 stimulation, drive increases until satiated Homeostatic: maintain intensity within a range (overwhelmed, under-stimulated) Social, stimulation, fatigue
Theory of Basic Emotions Emotions are primary and endowed by evolution Anger, disgust, fear, joy, sorrow, surprise Each serves biological or social function in context Become more nuanced through development Relevance-detection and response-preparation system
Russell’s Pleasure- Arousal Space
Human perception of Kismet (questionnaire): Matching face to emotion: 47-83% correct Matching face and posture to emotion: 57-86% correct
Real-time interaction Dynamic quality of interaction Tone of voice: praise, prohibition, attention bids, soothing Emotional feedback cycles Affective mirroring
Conclusion: for compelling and engaging interactions, robot must do the right thing, at the right time, in the right manner!