Spicing up Life with Pepper: The Emotional Robot

The field of robotics has surpassed what I could have ever imagined possible by creating Pepper, the human-shaped robot that has the ability to perceive human emotion. Pepper is the first human robot who is capable of recognizing the principal human emotions and adapting his behavior to the mood of his interaction partner.

Pleasant and likeable, Pepper is not just a typical robot, but a “genuine” humanoid companion designed to communicate in a natural and intuitive way, using his movements and voice. He is able to recognize faces, speak, hear, and move around on his own. He continuously evolves with the user, by gradually memorizing personality traits and preferences, and adapting himself to the users tastes and habits.

Pepper is able to identify the user’s emotions and select a behavior that is best suited for the situation, based on voice, facial expression, body movement, and word choice. He will respond to the mood of the moment, by expressing himself through the color of his eyes, his tablet that is attached to his chest, or the tone of his voice.

Pepper’s amazing ability to interact with humans all boils down to the art of computer science. Using touch sensors and cameras, Pepper takes in input from the world around him. The input is likely processed through the use of while-loops, for-loops, conditionals, and Boolean statements. For example, if interaction partner makes a joke, laugh. Or while interaction partner is dancing, dance along with them. The algorithm computed on the input then results in the changes in behavior that Pepper exhibits; in his tone, the color of his eyes, his movements, or the tablet.

The existence of emotional robots could be good in many ways, but personally makes me a little feel uncomfortable as well. I encourage everyone to consider the pros and cons of the existence of these emotional robots, and ask themselves the question, at what point has robotics gone too far? When and where should we draw the line to the abilities of robots?

References

https://www.ald.softbankrobotics.com/en/cool-robots/pepper

http://qz.com/433877/robots-in-japan-now-have-emotions/

Vacuum my Roomba

If vacuuming is your worst nightmare, you may have just met your best friend: say hello to Roomba. Roomba is a compact, computerized vacuum cleaner that automatically guides itself around your home. Like any other cleaner, it picks up dirt with spinning brushes and a vacuum. Unlike any other cleaner, Roomba moves itself around your room with two large tractor-style wheels, each independently driven by a separate electric motor. Power comes from an onboard rechargeable battery pack. Roomba also has onboard sensors to detect dirt, dodge obstacles, and steer clear or things like telephone cords and tassels on a rug. Once finished, it returns to its “docking” station and recharges itself.

Roomba relies on a series of pre-programmed instructions, while also using a certain amount of built-in “intelligence” in order to do its job. These include random bounce, onboard sensors, mapping, and wireless connectivity. I found the inner-workings of the onboard sensors to be particularly interesting.

So how does Roomba successfully make its way around the room? Mounted on top of Roomba, there is a prominent infrared beam and photocell sensor. Right underneath, there is a plastic front bumper with a built-in touch sensor. The infrared beam detects walls and obstacles. When the sensor gathers this input information, the computer processes this information, causing Roomba to slow down when it gets near them. We can look at the robot's actions in terms of if-else statements: if there is a wall, slow down. Else, keep vacuuming. In the same way, when Roomba actually runs into objects, the touch-sensitive bumpers relay this information to the computer, which commands Roomba to stop. Finally, there are infrared sensors mounted underneath which point downward, so Roomba can detect “cliffs” (stairs/drops). When the infrared sensors send this information to the computer, the computer sends a message to Roomba, causing the machine to stop and rotate straight away, driving itself to safety. Input, algorithm, output; plain and simple. Thanks to computer science, our floors can be vacuumed while we are not even home.

References: 

http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-roomba-works.html

http://producthealth.com/meet-rhoomba-remote-vacumm-cleaner/