The perception of emotion in artificial agents

Given recent technological developments in robotics, artificial intelligence and virtual reality, it is perhaps unsurprising that the arrival of emotionally expressive and reactive artificial agents is imminent. However, if such agents are to become integrated into our social milieu, it is imperative to establish an understanding of whether and how humans perceive emotion in artificial agents. In this review, we incorporate recent findings from social robotics, virtual reality, psychology, and neuroscience to examine how people recognize and respond to emotions displayed by artificial agents. First, we review how people perceive emotions expressed by an artificial agent, such as facial and bodily expressions and vocal tone. Second, we evaluate the similarities and differences in the consequences of perceived emotions in artificial compared to human agents. Besides accurately recognizing the emotional state of an artificial agent, it is critical to understand how humans respond to those emotions. Does interacting with an angry robot induce the same responses in people as interacting with an angry person? Similarly, does watching a robot rejoice when it wins a game elicit similar feelings of elation in the human observer? Here we provide an overview of the current state of emotion expression and perception in social robotics, as well as a clear articulation of the challenges and guiding principles to be addressed as we move ever closer to truly emotional artificial agents

Robot NAO used in therapy: Advanced design and evaluation

Treball de Final de Màster Universitari en Sistemes Intel·ligents. Codi: SIE043. Curs acadèmic 2013-2014Following with the previous work which we have done in the Final Research Project, we introduced a therapeutic application with social robotics to improve the positive mood in patients with fibromyalgia. Different works about therapeutic robotics, positive psychology, emotional intelligence, social learning and mood induction procedures (MIPs) are reviewed. Hardware and software requirements and system development are explained with detail. Conclusions about the clinical utility of these robots are disputed. Nowadays, experiments with real fibromyalgia patients are running, the methodology and procedures which take place in them are described in the future lines section of this work

On the profoundness and preconditions of social responses towards social robots : experimental investigations using indirect measurement techniques

Riether N. On the profoundness and preconditions of social responses towards social robots : experimental investigations using indirect measurement techniques. Bielefeld: Universität Bielefeld; 2013

From automata to animate beings: the scope and limits of attributing socialness to artificial agents

Understanding the mechanisms and consequences of attributing socialness to artificial agents has important implications for how we can use technology to lead more productive and fulfilling lives. Here, we integrate recent findings on the factors that shape behavioral and brain mechanisms that support social interactions between humans and artificial agents. We review how visual features of an agent, as well as knowledge factors within the human observer, shape attributions across dimensions of socialness. We explore how anthropomorphism and dehumanization further influence how we perceive and interact with artificial agents. Based on these findings, we argue that the cognitive reconstruction within the human observer is likely to be far more crucial in shaping our interactions with artificial agents than previously thought, while the artificial agent's visual features are possibly of lesser importance. We combine these findings to provide an integrative theoretical account based on the “like me” hypothesis, and discuss the key role played by the Theory‐of‐Mind network, especially the temporal parietal junction, in the shift from mechanistic to social attributions. We conclude by highlighting outstanding questions on the impact of long‐term interactions with artificial agents on the behavioral and brain mechanisms of attributing socialness to these agents

WHEN DO WE COOPERATE WITH ROBOTS?

Robotic usage is entering the world into many diverse ways, from advanced surgical areas to assistive technologies for disabled persons. Robots are increasingly designed and developed to assist humans with everyday tasks. However, they are still perceived as tools to be manipulated and controlled by humans, rather than complete and autonomous helpers. One of the main reasons can be addressed to the development of their capabilities to appear credible and trustworthy. This dissertation explores the challenge of interactions with social robots, investigating which specific situations and environments lead to an increase in trust and cooperation between humans and robots. After discussing the multifaceted concept of anthropomorphism and its key role on cooperation through literature, three open issues are faced: the lack of a clear definition of anthropomorphic contribution to robots acceptance, the lack of defined anthropomorphic boundaries that should not be crossed to maintain a satisfying interaction in HRI and the absence of a real cooperative interaction with a robotic peer. In Chapter 2, the first issue is addressed, demonstrating that robots credibility can be affected by experience and anthropomorphic stereotype activation. Chapter 3, 4, 5 and 6 are focussed in resolving the remaining two issues in parallel. By using the Economic Investment Game in four different studies, the emergence of human cooperative attitudes towards robots is demonstrated. Finally, the limits of anthropomorphism are investigated through comparisons of social human-like behaviours with machine-like static nature. Results show that the type of payoff can selectively affect trust and cooperation in HRI: in case of low payoff participants’ increase their tendency to look for the robots anthropomorphic cues, while a condition of high payoff is more suitable for machine-like agents.THRIVE, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Award No. FA9550-15-1-002

Sharing a work team with robots : The negative effect of robot co-workers on in-group identification with the work team

This study investigated whether the introduction of robots as teammates has an impact on in-group identification. We used two samples from the United States (N = 1003, N = 969). Participants were asked to imagine a hypothetical situation in which they were assigned to a work team at a new job. The number of robot teammates was manipulated, and the control group included only humans. Two studies examined perceived in-group identification with variance analysis and individual differences with regression analysis. Having a robot on the work team had a negative impact on in-group identification. The results suggest that when humans are members of minority subgroup within a work team, their subgroup identity is threatened. Identification with a work team including robot members is associated with individual factors such as attitude towards robots, technological expertise, and personality. Our findings indicate that introducing a robot as a teammate may affect in-group identification process negatively with some individual differences.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

Messung und Veränderung von Einstellungen gegenüber Robotern – Untersuchung des Einflusses von imaginiertem Kontakt auf implizite und explizite Maße

Wullenkord R. Messung und Veränderung von Einstellungen gegenüber Robotern – Untersuchung des Einflusses von imaginiertem Kontakt auf implizite und explizite Maße. Bielefeld: Universität Bielefeld; 2017.Dieses Promotionsprojekt beschäftigt sich damit, wie Einstellungen gegenüber Robotern mittels impliziter Messinstrumente zu erfassen und wie sie zu verändern sind. Dazu wurde die Wirksamkeit von imaginiertem Kontakt mit einem Roboter zur Verbesserung roboterbezogener Einstellungen sowie des Interaktionsverhaltens getestet. Es gelang, zwei implizite Einstellungsmaße für die Messung roboterbezogener Einstellungen zu optimieren. Die Experimente ergaben gemischte Ergebnisse zur Verwendbarkeit von imaginiertem Kontakt mit einem Roboter zur Einstellungsänderung, da nicht in allen Experimenten ein positiver Einfluss auf roboterbezogene Einstellungen nachweisbar war. Experiment 6 gab Hinweise darauf, dass der Einfluss von imaginiertem Kontakt mit einem Roboter auf roboterbezogene Einstellungen, Interaktionsverhalten und die Bewertung der Interaktion davon abhängen könnte, wie ähnlich die imaginierte Situation zur realen Interaktionssituation ist. Limitationen sowie Ideen für Folgestudien werden diskutiert

Advances in Human-Robot Interaction

Rapid advances in the field of robotics have made it possible to use robots not just in industrial automation but also in entertainment, rehabilitation, and home service. Since robots will likely affect many aspects of human existence, fundamental questions of human-robot interaction must be formulated and, if at all possible, resolved. Some of these questions are addressed in this collection of papers by leading HRI researchers

Foundations and applications of human-machine-interaction

Der vorliegende Tagungsband zur 10. Berliner Werkstatt Mensch-Maschine-Systeme gibt einen Einblick in die aktuelle Forschung im Bereich der Mensch-Maschine- Interaktion. Einen besonderen Fokus stellt das Wechselspiel von Grundlagenforschung und anwendungsbezogener Forschung dar, was sich im breiten Themenspektrum widerspiegelt, welches von theoretischen und methodischen Betrachtungen bis hin zu anwendungsnahen Fragestellungen reicht. Dabei finden Inhalte aus allen Phasen des Forschungsprozesses Beachtung, sodass auch im Rahmen der 10. Berliner Werkstatt MMS wieder sowohl neue Untersuchungskonzepte als auch abschließende Befunde diskutiert werden. Zentrale Themengebiete sind u. a. Fahrer-Fahrzeug-Interaktion, Assistenzsysteme, User Experience, Usability, Ubiquitous Computing, Mixed & Virtual Reality, Robotics & Automation, Wahrnehmungsspezifika sowie Psychophysiologie und Beanspruchung in der Mensch-Maschine-Interaktion.The proceedings of the 10th Berlin Workshop Human-Machine-Systems provide an insight into the current research in the field of human-machine-interaction. The main focus lies on the interplay between basic and applied research, which is reflected in the wide range of subjects: from theoretical and methodological issues to application oriented considerations. Again all stages of the research process are represented in the contributions of the 10th Berlin Workshop HMS. This means new research concepts as well as final results are subject of this volume. Central topics include driver-vehicleinteraction, assistance systems, user experience, usability, ubiquitous computing, mixed and virtual reality, robotics & automation, perception specifics, as well as psychophysiology and workload in human-machine-interaction