Just a decade after HAL 9000 was supposed to make its appearance, researchers at the University of Hertfordshire have unveiled a prototype of a robot capable of developing emotions through interactions with human caregivers and getting emotionally attached to them. The robots are programmed to learn to interact with humans the same way babies do, using the same expressive and behavioral cues. This has been implemented by modeling early attachment processes in human and chimpanzee infants. They will become attached to their primary caregiver, developing a stronger bond as they interact. They can express anger, fear, sadness, happiness, excitement and pride, or show distress if not cared for in stressful situations. Still to be added is understanding of non-verbal cues and emotions expressed through physical postures, gestures and body movements. The robots have been developed as part of a project of several universities and robotics companies funded by the European Commission called FEELIX GROWING (Feel, Interact, eXpress: a Global approach to development with Interdisciplinary Grounding). One of the future goals is to have the robot be a carer/companion for diabetic children in the hospital. Here’s a video of an earlier prototype:
Press release: Robots That Develop Emotions in Interaction with Humans…
