What do we learn about development from baby robots?

International audienceUnderstanding infant development is one of the great scientific challenges of contemporary science. In addressing this challenge, robots have proven useful as they allow experimenters to model the developing brain and body and understand the processes by which new patterns emerge in sensorimotor, cognitive, and social domains. Robotics also complements traditional experimental methods in psychology and neuroscience, where only a few variables can be studied at the same time. Moreover, work with robots has enabled researchers to systematically explore the role of the body in shaping the development of skill. All told, this work has shed new light on development as a complex dynamical system

Soft actuator and agile soft robot

Robots play an important part in many aspects of our society by doing repetitive, dangerous, or precision tasks. Most existing robots are made of rigid components, which lack passive compliance and pose a challenge in adapting to the environment and safe human-robot interaction. Rigid robots may be equipped with sensors and programmed with proprioceptive feedback control to achieve active compliance, but this may fail in the event of unforeseen situations or sensor failure. In contrast, animals have evolved flexible or soft body parts to help them adapt to changing environments. Soft robotics is an emerging field in robotics, drawing inspiration from nature by integrating soft material into the actuator and mechanical design. With the inclusion of soft material, soft actuators and robots can deform actively/passively, making it possible to sense, absorb impact, and adapt to its environment with deformation. However, while soft actuators/robots have superior properties to rigid ones, they are often challenging to manufacture and control precisely. In addition, they may suffer from slow speed and material degradation. Thus, in this thesis, we aim to address the issues in developing high-performance soft actuators and soft robots. The thesis is divided into two parts. In the first part, we focus on improving the manufacturability and performance of a self-contained soft actuator originated in the Creative Machines Lab. The soft actuator is composed of a cured silicone-ethanol mixture embedded with heating coils. When the coils are electrically actuated, ethanol trapped inside undergoes liquid-vapor transitions, and thus the actuator undergoes extreme volume change. While this actuator exhibits high strain and high stress, it is very slow to actuate, has limited life cycles, and requires molds to manufacture. The first part of the thesis will address these issues. Specifically, in chapter 2, we discuss using multi-material 3D printing to automate the manufacturing of silicone-ethanol composite. In chapter 3, we discuss using laser-cut flexible Kirigami patterns to improve the manufacturability of its heating element. Chapter 4 characterizes its actuation profile and addresses improvements to the thermal conductivity by infusing thermally conductive fillers. Soft actuation is an actively researched area; however, many high-performance soft actuators are challenging to manufacture and thus are less accessible to the general robotics community. Conventional actuators such as electric motors are widely available but lack flexibility. Therefore, the second part of the thesis aims at combining rigid motors with soft materials to design and control high-performance hybrid soft robots. Simulation is a good way to evaluate and optimize robot design and control. However, existing simulators that support motor-driven soft robots have limited features. Chapter 5 discusses this issue and presents a physically based real-time soft robot simulator capable of simulating motor-driven soft robots. In addition, chapter 5 presents the design and control of a 3D printed hybrid soft quadruped robot. Chapter 6 presents the design and control of a 3D printed hybrid soft humanoid robot. The two parts of the thesis aim to improve aspects in soft actuators and soft robots. In conclusion, we summarize the lessons learned in developing soft actuators/robots and new possibilities and challenges for advancing soft robotics research

The Ecology of Open-Ended Skill Acquisition: Computational framework and experiments on the interactions between environmental, adaptive, multi-agent and cultural dynamics

An intriguing feature of the human species is our ability to continuously invent new problems and to proactively acquiring new skills in order to solve them: what is called open-ended skill acquisition (OESA). Understanding the mechanisms underlying OESA is an important scientific challenge in both cognitive science (e.g. by studying infant cognitive development) and in artificial intelligence (aiming at computational architectures capable of open-ended learning). Both fields, however, mostly focus on cognitive and social mechanisms at the scale of an individual’s life. It is rarely acknowledged that OESA, an ability that is fundamentally related to the characteristics of human intelligence, has been necessarily shaped by ecological, evolutionary and cultural mechanisms interacting at multiple spatiotemporal scales. In this thesis, I present a research program aiming at understanding, modelingand simulating the dynamics of OESA in artificial systems, grounded in theories studying its eco-evolutionary bases in the human species. It relies on a conceptual framework expressing the complex interactions between environmental, adaptive, multi-agent and cultural dynamics. Three main research questions are developed and I present a selection of my contributions for each of them.- What are the ecological conditions favoring the evolution of skill acquisition?- How to bootstrap the formation of a cultural repertoire in populations of adaptive agents?- What is the role of cultural evolution in the open-ended dynamics of human skill acquisition?By developing these topics, we will reveal interesting relationships between theories in human evolution and recent approaches in artificial intelligence. This will lead to the proposition of a humanist perspective on AI: using it as a family of computational tools that can help us to explore and study the mechanisms driving open-ended skill acquisition in both artificial and biological systems, as a way to better understand the dynamics of our own species within its whole ecological context. This document presents an overview of my scientific trajectory since the start of my PhD thesis in 2007, the detail of my current research program, a selection of my contributions as well as perspectives for future work

by

th

Artificial intelligence and robots in services : theory and management of (future) humanrobot service interactions

During the past decade, service robots have increasingly been deployed in a wide variety of services, where they co-produce service outcomes with and for the benefit of internal or external customers within humanrobot service interactions (HRSI). Although the introduction of different service robot types into the marketplace promises efficiency gains, it changes premises of service encounter theory and practice fundamentally. Moreover, introducing service robots without considering external or internal customers needs can lead to negative service outcomes. This thesis aims to generate knowledge on how the introduction of different service robot types (i.e., embodied and digital service robots) in internal and external service encounters changes fundamental premises of service encounter theory and impacts HRSI outcomes. In doing so, it leverages different scientific methods and focuses on external service encounters with digital and embodied service robots, as well as internal service encounters with digital service robots. Chapter 2 aims to advance service encounter theory in the context of HRSI in external service encounters by conceptually developing a service encounter theory evaluation scheme to assess a theorys fit to explain HRSI-related phenomena. The scheme includes individual and contextual factors that bound theoretical premises and, hence, supports scholars in assessing standing service encounter theories. The chapter also puts forth an exemplary assessment of role theory and provides detailed avenues for future research. Chapter 3 aims to synthesize the great wealth of knowledge on HRSI related to external service encounters with embodied service robots. By conducting a comprehensive systematic literature review, the chapter identifies 199 empirical research articles across scientific fields that can inform service research on how to successfully introduce service robots into the organizational frontline. To organize the plethora of research findings, this chapter develops a new structuring framework (D3: design, delegate, deploy). It utilizes this framework to provide a comprehensive overview of the empirical HRSI literature, delineates practical implications, and identifies gaps in literature to identify promising future research avenues. Chapter 4 also addresses HRSI in external service encounters but focuses specifically on the transformative potential of embodied service robots to enhance vulnerable consumers (i.e., children and older adults) well-being in social isolation. To identify how different robots can enhance well-being, this chapter follows a conceptual approach and integrates findings from service research, social robotics, social psychology, and medicine. The chapter develops a typology of robotic transformative service (i.e., entertainer, social enabler, mentor, and friend) as a function of consumers state of social isolation, well-being focus, and robot capabilities and a future research agenda for robotic transformative service research (RTSR). This work guides service consumers and providers, as well as robot developers, in identifying and developing the most appropriate robot type for advancing the well-being of vulnerable consumers in social isolation. Finally, Chapter 5 focuses on HRSI research in the context of interactions with digital service robots in internal service encounters. Based on a comprehensive literature review paired with a qualitative study, it conceptionally develops a new concept of a collaborative, digital service robot: a collaborative intelligence system (i.e., CI system) that co-produces service with employees. Drawing from service encounter needs theory, the chapter also empirically tests the effect of CI systems on employee need fulfillment (i.e., need for control, cognition, self-efficacy, and justice) and, in turn, on responsibility taking in two scenario-based experiments. The results uncover divergent mechanisms of how the fulfillment of service encounter needs drives the effect of CI systems on outcome responsibility for different employee groups. Service scholars and managers benefit from a blueprint for designing collaborative digital service robots and an understanding of their effects on employee outcomes in service co-production. In summary, this thesis contributes to literature by providing new insights into different types of HRSI by consolidating HRSI knowledge, developing and advancing HRSI concepts and theory, and empirically investigating HRSI-related phenomena. The new insights put forth in this thesis are discussed and implications for service theory and practice are delineated.Serviceroboter werden zunehmend für Dienstleistungen eingesetzt, wobei sie mit und zum Nutzen von internen oder externen Kunden im Rahmen von Mensch-Roboter-Service-Interaktionen (MRSI) Serviceergebnisse co-produzieren. Die Einführung verschiedener Arten von Servicerobotern (d. h. verkörperte und digitale) verspricht Effizienzgewinne, verändert jedoch grundlegende Prämissen der Theorie und Praxis von Dienstleistungsinteraktionen. Darüber hinaus kann die Einführung von Servicerobotern ohne die Berücksichtigung von Kundenbedürfnissen zu negativen Serviceergebnissen führen. Ziel dieser Dissertation ist es, Wissen darüber zu generieren, wie die Einführung verschiedener Robotertypen in internen und externen Dienstleistungsinteraktionen grundlegende theoretische Prämissen von Dienstleistungsinteraktionen verändert und sich auf die Ergebnisse von MRSI auswirkt. Um dieses Ziel zu erreichen werden unter Einsatz verschiedener wissenschaftlicher Methoden drei verschiedene Arten von MRSI untersucht. Kapitel 2 zielt darauf ab, die Theorie der Dienstleistungsinteraktion im Kontext von MRSI in externen Dienstleistungsinteraktionen weiterzuentwickeln und konzeptioniert ein Bewertungsschema für bestehende Theorien der Dienstleistungsbegegnung. Das Schema umfasst individuelle und kontextuelle Faktoren, die die ursprünglichen theoretischen Prämissen von Mensch-zu-Mensch Dienstleistungsinteraktionen beeinflussen und unterstützt somit Wissenschaftler bei der Bewertung von Theorien zur Verwendung im MRSI Kontext. Das Kapitel enthält eine beispielhafte Bewertung der Rollentheorie und zeigt detaillierte Wege für zukünftige Forschung auf. Kapitel 3 zielt darauf ab, die große Fülle an Wissen über MRSI im Kontext externer Dienstleistungsinteraktionen mit verkörperten Servicerobotern zu synthetisieren. Durch eine systematische, interdisziplinäre Literaturanalyse identifiziert das Kapitel 199 empirische Forschungsartikel, die Erkenntnisse liefern, wie Serviceroboter erfolgreich in den Dienstleistungsprozess eingebunden werden können. Um die Fülle an Forschungsergebnissen zu ordnen, entwickelt dieses Kapitel ein neues, strukturierendes Modell (D3 framework: design, delegate, deploy). Dieses wird im Rahmen des Kapitels genutzt, um einen umfassenden Überblick über die empirische MRSI-Forschung zu geben, praktische Implikationen abzuleiten und Forschungslücken aufzuzeigen. Kapitel 4 befasst sich ebenfalls mit MRSI in externen Dienstleistungsinteraktionen, konzentriert sich aber auf das transformative Potenzial von verkörperten Servicerobotern zur Steigerung des Wohlbefindens von sozial isolierten, vulnerablen Verbrauchern (d. h. Kinder und ältere Erwachsene). Um herauszufinden, wie verschiedene Roboter das Wohlbefinden steigern können, integriert das Kapitel Erkenntnisse aus der Dienstleistungsforschung, der sozialen Robotik, der Sozialpsychologie und der Medizin. Dabei wird eine Typologie von vier transformativen Robotern in Abhängigkeit vom Zustand der sozialen Isolation des Verbrauchers, der Art des Wohlbefindens und den Fähigkeiten des Roboters entwickelt. Weiterhin wird eine detaillierte Forschungsagenda im Kontext transformativer Dienstleistungserstellung durch Roboter erarbeitet. Diese Arbeit hilft Dienstleistungsnehmern und -anbietern sowie Roboterentwicklern bei der Identifizierung und Entwicklung des am besten geeigneten Robotertyps zur Förderung des Wohlbefindens von sozial isolierten, vulnerablen Verbrauchern. Abschließend fokussiert Kapitel 5 die MRSI-Forschung im Kontext interner Dienstleistungsinteraktionen mit digitalen Servicerobotern. Auf Basis einer Literaturanalyse gepaart mit einer qualitativen Studie wird ein neues Konzept eines kollaborativen, digitalen Serviceroboters entwickelt: ein Collaborative Intelligence System (CI System), das in Zusammenarbeit mit Mitarbeitern Dienstleistungsergebnisse co-produziert. Anhand szenariobasierter Experimente wird empirisch untersucht, ob CI Systeme psychosoziale Bedürfnisse von Mitarbeitern befriedigen können und damit die mitarbeiterseitige Übernahme von Verantwortung für gemeinsam produzierte Ergebnisse gefördert wird. Die Ergebnisse decken für verschiedene Mitarbeitergruppen unterschiedliche Mechanismen auf, wie die Erfüllung von Bedürfnissen in der Dienstleistungsinteraktionen die Wirkung von CI Systemen auf die mitarbeiterseitige Übernahme von Verantwortung beeinflusst. Dienstleistungsforscher und -manager profitieren von einer Blaupause für die Gestaltung kollaborativer Dienstleistungsroboter und einem Verständnis für deren Auswirkungen auf Mitarbeitende. Insgesamt leistet diese Dissertation einen Beitrag zur Dienstleistungsforschung, indem sie neue Erkenntnisse über verschiedene Arten von MRSI liefert, das bestehende MRSI-Wissen konsolidiert, neue MRSI-Konzepte und -Theorien entwickelt bzw. weiterentwickelt und MRSI-bezogene Phänomene empirisch untersucht. Die neuen Erkenntnisse werden diskutiert und Implikationen für die Dienstleistungstheorie und -praxis abgeleitet

Plantoid: plant inspired robot for subsoil exploration and environmental monitoring

La Biorobotica è un nuovo approccio nella realizzazione di robot che unisce diverse discipline come Robotica e Scienze Naturali. Il concetto di Biorobotica è stato identificato per molti anni come ispirazione dal mondo animale. In questa tesi, questo paradigma è stato esteso per la prima volta al mondo vegetale. Le piante sono un organismo affascinante con inaspettate capacità. Sono organismi dinamici e altamente sensibili, in grado di esplorare il terreno alla ricerca di nutrienti e di valutare con precisione la loro situazione per una gestione ottimale delle risorse. L'obiettivo di questa tesi è di contribuire alla realizzazione di un robot ispirato alle piante, un plantoide. Il robot plantoide comprende sistemi di radici e rami e deve essere in grado di monitorare l'ambiente sia in aria sia nel sottosuolo. Questi robot ispirati alle piante saranno utilizzati per applicazioni specifiche, come il monitoraggio in situ di parametri chimici, la ricerca di acqua in agricoltura, l'ancoraggio e per la comprensione scientifica delle capacità e comportamenti delle piante stesse mediante la costruzione di modelli fisici. In questa tesi sono stati affrontati diversi aspetti di questa innovativa piattaforma robotica: prima di tutto, lo studio delle piante, le caratteristiche e le tecnologie che consentono di progettare e sviluppare il sistema robotico. Il sistema proposto può essere facilmente suddiviso in due sezioni principali, la parte aerea e la parte radicale (che sta nel sottosuolo). Per la parte che si trova nel sottosuolo, l'attività è stata incentrata sulla realizzazione di un sistema meccatronico miniaturizzato che imita il comportamento dell’apice radicale della pianta. Le piante mostrano una peculiare direzione crescita in risposta a stimoli esterni, come la luce (phototropism), la gravità (gravitropism), il tatto (thigmotropism) o il gradiente di umidità (hydrotropism). I tropismsi spesso interagiscono tra loro, e la crescita finale della pianta è influenzata da tali interazioni. Al fine di imitare le potenti prestazioni del sistema radicale delle piante, un nuovo attuatore è stato proposto. Questo attuatore è basato sul principio osmotico (attuatore osmotico) e, diversamente dagli attuatori allo stato dell’arte basati sul principio osmotico, è stato progettato in modo da avere una reazione reversibile. Questo attuatore permette di eseguire l'allungamento e il direzionamento dell’ apice radicale, generando elevate forze con un basso consumo di energia (con movimenti nella scala temporale della pianta). Studi teorici su questo attuatore mostrano interessanti prestazioni in termini di pressione di attuazione (superiore a 20 atm), con potenza nell'ordine di alcuni mW e con tempi di attuazione nell’ordine delle ore. L’apice radicale robotico è stato progettato per essere dotato di sensori (gravità e umidità) per imitare le capacità di analisi delle piante, e con l’attuatore osmotico per guidare la crescita nella direzione corretta. Un microcontrollore integrato controlla il comportamento e il direzionamento sulla base delle informazioni provenienti dai sensori. Riguardo la parte aerea, l'attività in questa tesi è stata incentrata sulla realizzazione di una sorta di modulo di monitoraggio ambientale, al fine di imitare l'elevata capacità sensoristica delle piante. Questa parte è stata progettata e realizzata in un modo più tradizionale, senza tentare di imitare completamente il comportamento delle piante, ma prendendo ispirazione dalle caratteristiche fondamentali (recupero dell’energia, ampia capacità di monitoraggio e comunicazione). Al fine di integrare una vasta quantità di sensori, è stata sviluppata un’innovativa interfaccia che garantisce il condizionamento di sensori, con capacità plug-and-play e basso consumo energetico. Diversi aspetti del plantoid non sono ancora stati affrontati e saranno parte dei lavori futuri. In particolare, il meccanismo di crescita delle radici (alcune possibili soluzioni sono state proposte e spiegate in questa tesi) e l'integrazione di sensori chimici nell’apice radicale.Biorobotics is a novel approach in the realization of robot that merges different disciplines as Robotic and Natural Science. The concept of biorobotics has been identified for many years as inspiration from the animal world. In this thesis this paradigm has been extended for the first time to the plant world. Plants are an amazing organism with unexpected capabilities. They are dynamic and highly sensitive organisms, actively and competitively foraging for limited resources both above and below ground, and they are also organisms which accurately compute their circumstances, use sophisticated cost–benefit analysis, and take defined actions to mitigate and control diverse environmental insults. The objective of this thesis is to contribute to the realization of a robot inspired to plants, a plantoid. The plantoid robot includes root and shoot systems and should be able to explore and monitoring the environment both in the air and underground. These plant-inspired robots will be used for specific applications, such as in situ monitoring analysis and chemical detections, water searching in agriculture, anchoring capabilities and for scientific understanding of the plant capabilities/behaviours themselves by building a physical models. The scientific work performed in this thesis addressed different aspects of this innovative robotic platform development: first of all, the study of the plants‟ characteristics and the enabling technologies in order to design and to develop the overall plantoid system. The proposed system can be easily sub-divided in two major sections, the aerial part and the subsoil part. About the subsoil part, the activity focused on the realization of a miniaturized mechatronic system that imitates the behaviour of the plant radical apex. Plants show a peculiar directional growth in response to external stimulations, such as light (phototropism), gravity (gravitropism), touch (thigmotropism) or water/humidity gradient (hydrotropism). Tropisms frequently interact between and among each other, and the final grown form of the plant is influenced by such interactions. In order to imitate the powerful performances of the plant root system, a novel actuator has been proposed. This actuator is based on the osmotic principle (osmotic actuator) and, differently by the state-of-the-art actuators based on the osmotic principle, it has been designed in order to have a reversible reaction. This actuator permits to perform the elongation and the typical steering capabilities of the root apex, generating high forces with low power consumption (in the time scale of the plant). Theoretical studies on this actuator show interesting performances in terms of actuation pressure (more than 20 atm) with power in the order of some mW and with actuation in the hours scale time. The robotic root apex was designed to be equipped with sensors (gravity and moisture) to imitate the plants sensing characteristics, and with the novel osmotic actuator to drive the growth in the correct direction. An embedded microcontroller implements the basic root behaviour on the basis of the information coming from the sensors. About the aerial part the activity in this thesis was focused on the realization of a sort of environmental monitoring module in order to imitate the high sensing capabilities of the plants. This part has been designed and realized in a more traditional way, without attempt to imitate completely the plant behaviour but taking inspiration from the fundamental characteristics (energy scavenging, wide sensing capabilities and communication). In order to integrate a wide amount of sensors an innovative interface board that guarantees the conditioning of the sensor, with plug-and-play capabilities and low power consumption, was developed. Several aspects of the plantoid system are not faced yet and they will be part of the future works. In particular, the growing mechanism of the roots (some possible solutions are proposed and explained in this thesis) and the integration of chemical sensors in the root apex

L’auto-exploration des espaces sensorimoteurs chez les robots

Developmental robotics has begun in the last fifteen years to study robots that havea childhood—crawling before trying to run, playing before being useful—and that are basing their decisions upon a lifelong and embodied experience of the real-world. In this context, this thesis studies sensorimotor exploration—the discovery of a robot’s own body and proximal environment—during the early developmental stages, when no prior experience of the world is available. Specifically, we investigate how to generate a diversity of effects in an unknown environment. This approach distinguishes itself by its lack of user-defined reward or fitness function, making it especially suited for integration in self-sufficient platforms. In a first part, we motivate our approach, formalize the exploration problem, define quantitative measures to assess performance, and propose an architectural framework to devise algorithms. through the extensive examination of a multi-joint arm example, we explore some of the fundamental challenges that sensorimotor exploration faces, such as high-dimensionality and sensorimotor redundancy, in particular through a comparison between motor and goal babbling exploration strategies. We propose several algorithms and empirically study their behaviour, investigating the interactions with developmental constraints, external demonstrations and biologicallyinspired motor synergies. Furthermore, because even efficient algorithms can provide disastrous performance when their learning abilities do not align with the environment’s characteristics, we propose an architecture that can dynamically discriminate among a set of exploration strategies. Even with good algorithms, sensorimotor exploration is still an expensive proposition— a problem since robots inherently face constraints on the amount of data they are able to gather; each observation takes a non-negligible time to collect. [...] Throughout this thesis, our core contributions are algorithms description and empirical results. In order to allow unrestricted examination and reproduction of all our results, the entire code is made available. Sensorimotor exploration is a fundamental developmental mechanism of biological systems. By decoupling it from learning and studying it in its own right in this thesis, we engage in an approach that casts light on important problems facing robots developing on their own.La robotique développementale a entrepris, au courant des quinze dernières années,d’étudier les processus développementaux, similaires à ceux des systèmes biologiques,chez les robots. Le but est de créer des robots qui ont une enfance—qui rampent avant d’essayer de courir, qui jouent avant de travailler—et qui basent leurs décisions sur l’expérience de toute une vie, incarnés dans le monde réel.Dans ce contexte, cette thèse étudie l’exploration sensorimotrice—la découverte pour un robot de son propre corps et de son environnement proche—pendant les premiers stage du développement, lorsque qu’aucune expérience préalable du monde n’est disponible. Plus spécifiquement, cette thèse se penche sur comment générer une diversité d’effets dans un environnement inconnu. Cette approche se distingue par son absence de fonction de récompense ou de fitness définie par un expert, la rendant particulièrement apte à être intégrée sur des robots auto-suffisants.Dans une première partie, l’approche est motivée et le problème de l’exploration est formalisé, avec la définition de mesures quantitatives pour évaluer le comportement des algorithmes et d’un cadre architectural pour la création de ces derniers. Via l’examen détaillé de l’exemple d’un bras robot à multiple degrés de liberté, la thèse explore quelques unes des problématiques fondamentales que l’exploration sensorimotrice pose, comme la haute dimensionnalité et la redondance sensorimotrice. Cela est fait en particulier via la comparaison entre deux stratégies d’exploration: le babillage moteur et le babillage dirigé par les objectifs. Plusieurs algorithmes sont proposés tour à tour et leur comportement est évalué empiriquement, étudiant les interactions qui naissent avec les contraintes développementales, les démonstrations externes et les synergies motrices. De plus, parce que même des algorithmes efficaces peuvent se révéler terriblement inefficaces lorsque leurs capacités d’apprentissage ne sont pas adaptés aux caractéristiques de leur environnement, une architecture est proposée qui peut dynamiquement choisir la stratégie d’exploration la plus adaptée parmi un ensemble de stratégies. Mais même avec de bons algorithmes, l’exploration sensorimotrice reste une entreprise coûteuse—un problème important, étant donné que les robots font face à des contraintes fortes sur la quantité de données qu’ils peuvent extraire de leur environnement;chaque observation prenant un temps non-négligeable à récupérer. [...] À travers cette thèse, les contributions les plus importantes sont les descriptions algorithmiques et les résultats expérimentaux. De manière à permettre la reproduction et la réexamination sans contrainte de tous les résultats, l’ensemble du code est mis à disposition. L’exploration sensorimotrice est un mécanisme fondamental du développement des systèmes biologiques. La séparer délibérément des mécanismes d’apprentissage et l’étudier pour elle-même dans cette thèse permet d’éclairer des problèmes importants que les robots se développant seuls seront amenés à affronter

Synthesis of listener vocalizations : towards interactive speech synthesis

Spoken and multi-modal dialogue systems start to use listener vocalizations, such as uh-huh and mm-hm, for natural interaction. Generation of listener vocalizations is one of the major objectives of emotionally colored conversational speech synthesis. Success in this endeavor depends on the answers to three questions: Where to synthesize a listener vocalization? What meaning should be conveyed through the synthesized vocalization? And, how to realize an appropriate listener vocalization with the intended meaning? This thesis addresses the latter question. The investigation starts with proposing a three-stage approach: (i) data collection, (ii) annotation, and (iii) realization. The first stage presents a method to collect natural listener vocalizations from German and British English professional actors in a recording studio. In the second stage, we explore a methodology for annotating listener vocalizations -- meaning and behavior (form) annotation. The third stage proposes a realization strategy that uses unit selection and signal modification techniques to generate appropriate listener vocalizations upon user requests. Finally, we evaluate naturalness and appropriateness of synthesized vocalizations using perception studies. The work is implemented in the open source MARY text-to-speech framework, and it is integrated into the SEMAINE project\u27s Sensitive Artificial Listener (SAL) demonstrator.Dialogsysteme nutzen zunehmend Hörer-Vokalisierungen, wie z.B. a-ha oder mm-hm, für natürliche Interaktion. Die Generierung von Hörer-Vokalisierungen ist eines der zentralen Ziele emotional gefärbter, konversationeller Sprachsynthese. Ein Erfolg in diesem Unterfangen hängt von den Antworten auf drei Fragen ab: Wo bzw. wann sollten Vokalisierungen synthetisiert werden? Welche Bedeutung sollte in den synthetisierten Vokalisierungen vermittelt werden? Und wie können angemessene Hörer-Vokalisierungen mit der intendierten Bedeutung realisiert werden? Diese Arbeit widmet sich der letztgenannten Frage. Die Untersuchung erfolgt in drei Schritten: (i) Korpuserstellung; (ii) Annotation; und (iii) Realisierung. Der erste Schritt präsentiert eine Methode zur Sammlung natürlicher Hörer-Vokalisierungen von deutschen und britischen Profi-Schauspielern in einem Tonstudio. Im zweiten Schritt wird eine Methodologie zur Annotation von Hörer-Vokalisierungen erarbeitet, die sowohl Bedeutung als auch Verhalten (Form) umfasst. Der dritte Schritt schlägt ein Realisierungsverfahren vor, die Unit-Selection-Synthese mit Signalmodifikationstechniken kombiniert, um aus Nutzeranfragen angemessene Hörer-Vokalisierungen zu generieren. Schließlich werden Natürlichkeit und Angemessenheit synthetisierter Vokalisierungen mit Hilfe von Hörtests evaluiert. Die Methode wurde im Open-Source-Sprachsynthesesystem MARY implementiert und in den Sensitive Artificial Listener-Demonstrator im Projekt SEMAINE integriert

Origins of sedentism: possible roles of ideology and shamanism in the transition

Recognising causal links between religious practices and socio-political structures, it is argued that the transition to settled life during the Neolithic was the product of social and political changes brought about by the institutionalisation and manipulation of ideology. These were employed by ambitious, influential individuals using sedentism as a strategy to achieve social control and the power, status and appropriated wealth (labour and resources) this engendered. A key factor in this was the materialisation of ideology, making visible the supernatural. Exploration of the ideopolitical nature of cultural elements — social, economic, and political — integral to the transition among Southwest Asian societies who experienced the profound changes involved, identified a nexus between increasing intensity of shamanistically manipulated ideology and progressive decrease in mobility. Furthermore, it reinforced the pivotal role played by shamanism in the transitional process, and that it was facilitated and maintained by the generation of ongoing socio-ideological stress. Emergence of personal and group individualism during the transition, but particularly in the latter part, saw competition in both hierarchical and heterarchical contexts for social control. In the course of this, shamanism was also employed by other influential individuals and became hybridised in the form of the quasi-divine shaman-priest-leaders operating ceremonial centres from which they dominated the activities of regional populations. A model derived from the archaeology of selected sites in Southwest Asia is presented that views the transition as a three-phase process reflecting the emergence and progressive intensification of a collective psychology, this manifest in new ideology, the growing importance of ‘place’, and individualism and social complexity not previously experienced. Also apparent is that initiation of the transition was associated with a new ideology and driven by shamanism, with the influence of the various agents involved becoming increasingly evident in a range of interrelated behavioural trends and developments. Each phase of the model sees ideology taken intentionally and necessarily to a higher level of intensity, providing a longer-term perspective on the relationship between ideology and economy. Evidence from the British Isles 5000-2000 calBC used for model validation confirmed that where ideology is evident in the archaeological record shamanism was influential, and emphasised the ideological context of the settlement foci and controlling agencies. Behavioural trends become more developed throughout, despite site context and location. While variation was apparent among the subregions in the extent to which a more settled way of life achieved, the overall effect in each was to bring dispersed communities together long-term, ideopolitically controlled in geographically confined contexts by site or wider location. People were being aggregated more regularly and co-operatively; this clearly facilitated by ideology. The British evidence also indicated that settled life did not necessarily equate precisely with the criteria of settled life, i.e., living permanently in durable structures on one site; rather, there was flexibility in the way these might be exhibited. Furthermore, full-time sedentism was shown to be preceded by permanent ceremonial structures and their ideological context