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?
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This is an incredible breakthrough in technology and computer science! I appreciate the differences between Pepper and other humanoid robots I discussed in a post I made. Those attempt to imitate humans in their appearance, and although Pepper is able to interact with humans in a "humanoid" way, he doesn't appear as close to humans. I wonder if people will accept this robot more than more human-looking ones. I do agree with you that there is a certain point where robotics has gone too far, but it is amazing that technology has come so far.
ReplyDeleteArtificial intelligence is always a hot topic that is highly debated and controversial. We as humans like the idea of having a personal assistant is awesome and futuristic. But we also risk a planet of the apes type of reaction from these creations as our own knowledge might make these devices too smart to the point where they might feel entitled to their own freedom and cause them to retaliate. Therefore all of these robots should have some kill switch that makes them not functional anymore so that humans are safe.
ReplyDeleteI always thought of robotics as programming a machine to do a certain task and while i guess this is doing the same thing, the way pepper deals with emotions is something i've never come across before. I think recognizing and emulations emotions is a huge step in making robots lifelike and I wonder how this technology will evolve in other artificial intelligence machines
ReplyDeleteGreat article! Pepper is an amazing innovation that I think will really have a direct, positive effect on people's life. I wonder if Pepper could be used I'm place of a human therapist for people who are not comfortable yet with the idea of talking to someone in person. Since Pepper can recognize emotion, they could express compassion and support until the person decides to see a human therapist! So awesome!
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