[Heartlogic-dev] First Sociable Robot Is Wired To Smile

[Joshua N Pritikin]

----- Forwarded message from "William L. Jarrold" <address@hidden> -----

This machine can present a very simple and codified version of non-verbal
interaction to help train someone with autism

      [By Steve Connor.]
http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=132&fArticleId=49540

      The world's most sophisticated cyborg, which can grin with
self-satisfaction or sneer in disdain, has at last been unveiled.
      Packed with 24 small motors to manipulate the artificial skin of its
face, the cyborg - called K-bot - has a pair of cameras in its eyes designed
to analyse the facial expressions of the people it sees.
      James Hanson, a researcher at the University of Texas at Dallas, said
K-bot has a library of 28 facial expressions and can mimic the entire array
of human emotions as expressed by the facial muscles.
      "In terms of complexity of the parts and expense incurred, K-bot is
not the most expensive in the world. But in terms of the sophistication of
what it is capable of doing, it is the most advanced," Hanson told the
American Association for the Advancement of Science on Sunday.
      "It has the most expressive skin - it's a polymer developed in my
laboratory - and has a compressibility comparable with human skin. It also
has a high elongation, which means it stretches very easily."
      The human face had evolved over millions of year to convey
information. Even newborn babies were capable of perceiving emotion by
looking at a face. It made sense to make robots with facial expressions
comparable to those of humans, Hanson said.
      "This is the face for sociable robotics. Whether you use the human
face directly or imitate the expressions of the human face and use cartoon
characters or fuzzy animals, one way or another, people will recognise it
socially through facial expressions.
      "In terms of robotics it has never existed before in a robot, so this
is the first robot to use that leading-edge technology," he explained.
      K-bot's face, which is modelled on that of Kristen Nelson, an artist
and Friend of Hanson's, was designed by analysing the movements of the
muscles that control the facial movements of humans.
      Scientists intend to develop emotion-expressing robots as an aid to
teaching.
      "This could become an extremely useful tool for medical therapies at
some stage," Hanson said.
      "If someone has brain damage or autism and you're trying to train them
to be able to interact in a natural way, then this machine can present a
very simple and codified version of non-verbal interaction that would be
much easier for them to understand." - Independent Foreign Service