Tsuyoshi Takagi

An Ethological and Emotional Basis for Human-Robot Interaction

Abstract This paper presents the role of ethological and emotional models as the basis for an architecture in support of entertainment robotic systems. Specific examples for Sony’s AIBO are presented as well as extensions related to a new humanoid robot, SDR.

Ethological modeling and architecture for an entertainment robot

Presents a method for creating high-fidelity models of animal behavior for use in robotic systems based on a behavioral systems approach, and describes in particular how an ethological model of a domestic dog can be implemented with AIBO, the Sony entertainment robot.

Behavior selection and motion modulation in emotionally grounded architecture for QRIO SDR-4XII

This paper focuses OD the design and evaluation of behavior module selection and motion modulation based on emotion in the emotionally grounded (EGO) architecture that is applied in autonomous robot QRIO SDR-4 X II. In the EGO architecture, a behavior module is selected based on homeostasis in order for the robot to regulate its internal state within a certain range. Each behavior module has a value called activation level (AL) that is composed of motivation value (Mot) and releasing value (Rel). Mot determines the degree that the instinct drives the behavior module. It is derived from internal state. Rel is the degree that reflects how much external stimuli would satisfy an internal state as a result of the behavior. It is derived from the internal state and external stimuli. Each behavior module competes in AL to select a behavior module. Emotion is a key for motion modulation. It is derived from the internal state, its change, and the expected change of internal state associated with external stimuli in long-term memory. Through the implementation and experiments on QRIO SDR-4X II, we confirm the behavior selection and motion modulation processes in the EGO architecture.

Learning behavior selection through interaction based on emotionally grounded symbol concept

In this paper, we propose a learning algorithm for action selection mechanism in the EGO architecture, which we proposed for autonomous behavior control of a humanoid robot. The concept of behavior value is introduced for action selection. The behavior value of each behavior module depends on external stimuli and internal states, and the behavior module with the higher behavior value is selected in the situation. We address the importance of learning the behavior value of each behavior. We describe how to compute behavior values for behavior modules through interaction with humans and environment. We implemented the learning algorithm on QRIO SDR-4X II, a small humanoid robot, and confirmed that for a given interaction driven behavior module, a high behavior value is obtained when interacting with a friendly user. The same tendency is obtained for a proper color painted ball for soccer play behavior module.

Architecture and preliminary experimental results for emotionally grounded symbol acquisition

In this paper, we propose a novel concept, “Emotionally Grounded Symbol Acquisition”, which is an extended idea of well- studied concept, “Physically Grounded Symbol Acquisition”. We think it is important for an autonomous robot to ground symbols not only on the physical world but also on its emotions. Based on this concept, we propose an Emotionally Grounded Architecture for behavior control, which enables an autonomous robot such as pet- type robot to respond properly to external stimuli based on its own emotional evaluation.