This document discusses an affective robot project. It describes a demo of a social robot that can display different emotional states like happy, welcome, or cry based on user-selected behaviors. An experiment will collect data on how settings and behaviors influence the robot's affects. The goal is to model the link between human affects and robotic expression to change people's states of mind for benefits like health. It outlines the technologies, methodology, and multidisciplinary team to create the virtual and physical robot components.

1. Affective robots
Physical expression
from social robots
Affective
robots
Rod Walsh, Kimmo Vänni
TAMK
version date author details
0.1 12.03.2012 Rod Created & first draft Demola InnoSummer 2012
Walsh
0.2 14.03.2012 Rod Format improvement
Walsh
0.3 15.03.2012 Rod Draft content completed
Walsh
0.4 02.05.2012 Rod Smart Cab combination slide added
Walsh
© TAMK, 2012. All rights reserved. TAMK confidential. 1

2. Affective robots
Contents
 The demo: your amazing creation
 The experiment: using and proving the
creation to iterate and collect data
 The reason: our motivation
 The future: a little beyond this project
 The toolbox: technologies, approach,
methods
 The people: skills & attitudes of the
Demola team; and the support folk
© TAMK, 2012. All rights reserved. TAMK confidential. 2

3. Affective robots
robot
face in
unity
virtual
The demo
User selected behaviors that affect emotional
state for 1to1 dialogue and performance cases.
Things like, “be happy”,
“welcome”, “reject”,
“complain”, “cry”,
“superman”, …
actual robot
virtual robot
body in the
body in unity
real world
body
face
Full
Model-specific compute: Output-specific compute:
Translate behavior into spatial model “Render” spatial model (behavior)
© TAMK, 2012. All rights reserved. TAMK confidential. 3

4. Affective robots
Experimental
data stored
The experiment Video, image,
audio response
Group response Self-reported
(performance) affect (ask,
questionnaire)
Individual response
(dialogue)
What setting or stage would unlock,
emphasize or inhibit which affects?
For different behaviors, that should be interpreted a certain way, and possibly
change mood, the “Wizard of Oz” controls how the social robot will behave
© TAMK, 2012. All rights reserved. TAMK confidential. 4

5. Affective robots
To change a person’s state of mind
The reason
For fun, safety, fitness, wellbeing Conversationally and …and even the simple
and health, social robots promise physically authentic humanoid robotic buddies stimulate
to extend our human experience robots are already a reality affection, empathy and
and reduce care costs. (currently with a high price)… changed behavior.
© TAMK, 2012. All rights reserved. TAMK confidential. 5

6. Affective robots
Actual robot face in the real world
The future
Model the link between
affects on human state
of mind and change of
external expression from
the experimental data
Design and fabricate our
own robot components, kits
and personalities
Real-time computer recognition of
human “state of mind”
Much, much more…
© TAMK, 2012. All rights reserved. TAMK confidential. 6

7. Affective robots
Approach
The toolbox
Starting:
 Get the brief; hit the ground running
 Straight into: robot movement, avatar creation,
emotion commands from “user” to “robots”,
behavior pallet proto, collecting human faces
Technology (tentative) and body expressions
 3D body & face: live with Unity Full speed:
3D, created with (e.g.) Maya  Plenty of client presence in Demola
 Javascript preferred client-side  Regular short design & problem solving sessions
 Java preferred server-side  Regular big picture & integration sessions
 Python & C++ also acceptable  Mostly getting on with implementing plans
 Robot SDK TBD (Kimmo) made as we go and sharing ideas, problems
and victories
 Robot kit TBD (Kimmo)
Gift wrapping:
 2or 3 milestones with a self-contained demo
Other methodology  Final demo videoed, pitched, ready for reuse
 Behavior pallet(s) shown affective thro’ demo
 Corridor interviews
 Collection of one-to-one and audeience
 Publications & concepts check
response data from experiments with Demola
 “User” trial and measurements folk and others
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8. Affective robots
The people
Demola team skills and interests Demola team approach & attitude
 Emotion & body language  Positive, creative, effective team
(investigate, experiment, specify, communications, hands-on, try-it-
observe, record): HCI / social out, get-it-done and complete-
science / theatre performance the job.
 Robot (human-like body
movement from a set “pallet” Support team
with mid-level SDK): code, robo-  Rod Walsh, TAMK, behavior-
mech-hobbist pallet, HCI and architecture
 Avatars (human face and body
 Kimmo Vänni, TAMK, avatar,
models in Unity, moving to robot and robot/control software
external “command pallet”):
 TBD, Demola, admin, ITC and
compound 3D models, Unity &
scripts presentation skills
 Demola will run Unity intro &
 Modeling (pallet of theoretical
face & body poses and actions advanced workshops
to dynamic digital models)  More…?
 Multiple & shared roles is good!
© TAMK, 2012. All rights reserved. TAMK confidential. 8