‘EMOTIONAL’ ROBOTS STEAL THE SHOW
They can become more humanlike by acquiring emotional intelligence and empathy
LAS VEGAS
THE robot called Forpheus does more than play a mean game of table tennis. It can read body language to gauge its opponent’s ability, and offer advice and encouragement.
“It will try to understand your mood and your playing ability, and predict a bit about your next shot,” said Keith Kersten of Japan-based Omron Automation, which developed Forpheus to showcase its technology.
“We don’t sell ping pong robots but we are using Forpheus to show how technology works with people.”
Forpheus is among several devices shown at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show, which highlights how robots can become more humanlike by acquiring “emotional intelligence” and empathy.
Although this specialisation is still emerging, the notion of robotic empathy appeared to be a strong theme at the gathering of technology professionals here.
Honda, the Japanese auto giant, launched a new robotics programme called Empower, Experience, Empathy, including its new 3E-A18 robot which “shows compassion to humans with a variety of facial expressions”, according to a statement.
Although empathy and emotional intelligence do not necessarily require a humanoid form, some robot makers have been working on form and function.
“We’re working hard to have an emotional robot,” said JeanMichel Mourier of French-based Blue Frog Robotics, which makes the companion and social robot called Buddy, set to be released later this year.
“He has a complex brain. It will ask for a caress or it will get mad if you poke him in the eye.”
Other robots, such as Qihan Technology’s Sanbot and SoftBank Robotics’ Pepper, are being “humanised” by teaching them to read and react to people’s emotional states.
Pepper is “capable of interpreting a smile, a frown, your tone of voice, as well as the lexical field you use and non-verbal language such as the angle of your head,” said SoftBank.
Developing emotional intelligence in robots is a difficult task, melding the use of computer “vision” to interpret objects and people and creating software that can respond accordingly.
“Empathy is the goal. The robot is putting itself in the shoes of the human, and that’s about as hard as it gets,” said Patrick Moorhead, a technology analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy.
“It’s not just about technology, it’s about psychology and trust.”
Moorhead said this technology was still in the early stages but held promise in some areas, noting that there was strong interest in Japan amid a lack of caretakers for the elderly population.
“In some ways, it can be a bit creepy if you’re crying and the robot is trying to console you,” he said.
“If you have no friends, the next best thing is a friend robot, and introverts might feel more comfortable talking to a robot.” AFP