Developing social action capabilities in a humanoid robot using an interaction history architecture

“This material is presented to ensure timely dissemination of scholarly and technical work. Copyright and all rights therein are retained by authors or by other copyright holders. All persons copying this information are expected to adhere to the terms and constraints invoked by each author's copyright. In most cases, these works may not be reposted without the explicit permission of the copyright holder." “Copyright IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or to reuse any copyrighted component of this work in other works must be obtained from the IEEE.” DOI: 10.1109/ICHR.2008.4756013We present experimental results for the humanoid robot Kaspar2 engaging in a simple “peekaboo” interaction game with a human partner. The robot develops the capability to engage in the game by using its history of interactions coupled with audio and visual feedback from the interaction partner to continually generate increasingly appropriate behaviour. The robot also uses facial expressions to feedback its level of reward to the partner. The results support the hypothesis that reinforcement of time-extended experiences through interaction allows a robot to act appropriately in an interaction

Robot Self-Characterisation of Experience Using Trajectories in Sensory-Motor Phase Space

Peer reviewe

Minimal Uncertainty in Momentum: The Effects of IR Gravity on Quantum Mechanics

The effects of the IR aspects of gravity on quantum mechanics is investigated. At large distances where due to gravity the space-time is curved, there appears nonzero minimal uncertainty $\Delta p_{0}$ in the momentum of a quantum mechanical particle. We apply the minimal uncertainty momentum to some quantum mechanical interferometry examples and show that the phase shift depends on the area surrounded by the path of the test particle . We also put some limits on the related parameters. This prediction may be tested through future experiments. The assumption of minimal uncertainty in momentum can also explain the anomalous excess of the mass of the Cooper pair in a rotating thin superconductor ring.Comment: 8 pages, revised version accepted by PR

Mandatory Minimum Prison Sentencing and Systemic Racism

This article discusses the relationship between racist policing, the exercise of prosecutorial discretion, and the disproportionate imposition of mandatory prison sentences on Black-Canadians It argues that the retention and expansion of mandatory prison sentences for serious offences will serve as a powerful means to perpetuate systemic racism in the criminal justice system. Reporting and applying surveys on systemic racism in the criminal justice system, the article sets out to demonstrate that mandatory prison sentences enhance the quasi-judicial role of prosecutors, providing Crown attorneys with greater leverage to convict a disproportionate number of Black persons. In addition, it argues that if mandatory prison sentences are retained and expanded, Black persons will confront intensified pressure to plead guilty to avoid lengthy pre-trial imprisonment and the prospect of extended prison time, if convicted

Mandatory Minimum Prison Sentencing and Systemic Racism

This article discusses the relationship between racist policing, the exercise of prosecutorial discretion, and the disproportionate imposition of mandatory prison sentences on Black-Canadians It argues that the retention and expansion of mandatory prison sentences for serious offences will serve as a powerful means to perpetuate systemic racism in the criminal justice system. Reporting and applying surveys on systemic racism in the criminal justice system, the article sets out to demonstrate that mandatory prison sentences enhance the quasi-judicial role of prosecutors, providing Crown attorneys with greater leverage to convict a disproportionate number of Black persons. In addition, it argues that if mandatory prison sentences are retained and expanded, Black persons will confront intensified pressure to plead guilty to avoid lengthy pre-trial imprisonment and the prospect of extended prison time, if convicted

Global and Regional Perspectives on Large-Landscape and Transboundary Conservation

With the growing pressure of environmental degradation and exploitation to social and ecological landscapes around the world, conservationists are looking for new approaches to address the complex nature of transboundary issues. Large-landscape conservation supports conservation and management of ecosystems, wildlife, and resources in a more holistic approach that extends beyond protected area boundaries. Transboundary conservation, a distinct form of large-landscape conservation, operates across political and spatial scales by involving two or more countries cooperating to protect a border resource or ecosystem. Though the recognition of large-landscape and transboundary conservation is growing, there is limited understanding of trends across these types of initiatives and how they function on-the-ground. This study addresses these gaps through two phases of research. Phase One implemented a survey to two International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Specialist Groups on Transboundary and Connectivity Conservation to evaluate trends in the field of large-landscape and transboundary conservation. The survey explored topics such as local community involvement, challenges, defining success, and landscape-scale governance. Phase Two focused on evaluating the potential for large-landscape, transboundary conservation between Chile and Argentina around three protected areas in the Southern Patagonian Ice Fields. Qualitative interviews were used to evaluate local stakeholder perspectives on current and future transboundary collaboration. The results of this thesis suggest that a gap remains between global and regional perspectives on large-landscape conservation. In addition, the results suggest that the field of large-landscape conservation must work to move beyond traditional conservation paradigms that have not adequately involved and recognized local and Indigenous communities. Lastly, this study demonstrates the importance of recognizing and supporting informal, local transboundary collaboration. These results increase our understandings of large-landscape and transboundary conservation and inform best practices to increase success of these initiatives and support more effective and equitable future transboundary conservation initiatives