A model for a Companion AIBO

A model for a Companion AIBO

Architecture and Design

19th April 2005

Man-Machine Interaction Group, Technical University Delft

Iulia Dobai

04/22/23 Iulia Dobai

A model for a Companion AIBOMMI Group, TU Delft

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• 6 years back – SONY introduces the first entertainment

robot: AIBO• 2 years back

– SONY partially opens the black-box• Last couple of years

– Studies are conducted regarding human-AIBO interaction in USA and Japan

– Masahiro Fujita concludes that AIBO is a good partner with humans and useful in mental therapy.

Background and History



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• SONY AIBO Companion Robot:– Behaviors that comes from a “manually

designed database”. – Emotional Expressions are somewhat “bashful” – The personality model behind is “rudimentary”– Sony putts effort in unknown-object learning

and unknown-word technologies • No other entertainment robots are to be

found on the market.• Science is dealing only with task-oriented

robots.

Premises



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Requirements and Challenges• Requirements

– Develop a system architecture for a companion dog– Design and implement software to portray emotions

in AIBO as a result of interaction with humans.– Design of a personality model adapted to AIBO.

• Challenges– Adaptation to AIBO specific hardware and its limitations– Limitations imposed by AIBO specific software– Use of URBI that is still under development– Little is still known or standardized in the cognitive model for humans.



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Requirements in other words…Are you out of your mind? I am sleeping!!!

Get a life! I am still sleeping!

I am so bored! I

wish I had a companion!

7:00 AM 8:00 AM

11:00 AM 14:00 AM

I feel so lonely!!! I am very sad and depressed.

16:00 AM

Finally I have a friend! I am so happy and I even managed to pick up the bone! Wow!!!

AIBO! Bring me my

newspaper!!!

AIBO! Let’s play!!! Follow

me

AIBO! Let’s play!!! Follow

me



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Scenario for Emotional ReasoningScenario: AIBO’s Personality:• Openness- 55%• Conscientiousness – 50%• Extrovert – 60%• Agreeableness – 48%• Neuroticism – 45%AIBO’s Mood• Valence = positive• Arousal = 60%AIBO’s Needs• Physiological needs – 15%• Safety – 100%• Belonging – 80%• Love - … • Achievement- … • Recognition - …

Constant through life-cycle.

Constant changing in time.



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Personality and Needs• Personality

– OCEAN Model of Personality• 5 Dimensions of personality: Openness,

Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism

• Needs– Maslow Pyramid of Needs

• 5 layers of needs in a prioritized order• Needs are satisfied in turns starting down-

top

… more on these



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Mood and Goals, Preferences and Standards

• Mood– 2 dimensional factor: valence and arousal.

• Goals, Preferences and Standards– Goals

• Task oriented objectives that are simple, measurable, realistic and time-framed.

– Preferences• Appealingness to aspects of objects

– Standards• Approval/disapproval regarding actions of

agents



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Emotions and Actions• Instantaneous Emotions

– Emotion categories proposed by Orthony, Clore and Collins (OCC Model of emotional states)

– 6 emotional expressions are used: happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise and disgust

• Series of Actions– Represent AIBO specific set of actions that

lead to the accomplishment of a specific goal.– In case of no event occurrence AIBO has a

default and random behavior.

…more on these

…more on these



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The nPME model

Fig 1. nPME Model

Event Driven System• If an event occurs (by event

we understand a registered happening that is detected by AIBO) the response engine is triggered and based on the evaluation of goals, preferences and standards and on the current mood a new emotional state and a set of actions results.

• Types of Events:– Internal Events (battery, timer)– External Events – Direct CommandsnPME Model = needs based Personality – Mood – Emotions Model



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Implementation

• System Architecture– URBI Server

• Interprets URBI Commands from client• Sends raw data from sensors

– Client• Interprets and analyzes data received from

sensors• Reasons about the world AIBO is acting in• Sends to AIBO URBI commands



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Software Architecture and Design• Processing

component– Represents the personality

model described before and consists of two expert systems (/fuzzy expert systems)

• Technologies used:– Java for implementing the entire system.– URBI scripting language for robot-specific

commands.– Jess (/Fuzzy Jess) for the expert systems.



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Project Overview• What have been done?

– Literature survey in the topics of cognitive science, AIBO, robotics, artificial intelligence, autonomous agents.

– Developed a personality model– Developed an implementation model for a companion

AIBO• What brings the future?

– Final implementation and usability Tests– Upgrade to Fuzzy Expert Systems and Tests– Final Report

• Envisioning?– A plug-in system for task-oriented AIBOs.



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Questions ?

Suggestions ?

Inputs and Ideas ?



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OCEAN ModelTrait Adjective

usedto describe

neuroticism emotional stability

Insecure, emotionally distressed

extraversion introversion Talkative, energetic, social

openness to experiences

closeness to experiences

Imaginative, creative, explorative

agreeableness disagreeableness Trusting, friendly, cooperative

conscientiousness

lack of conscientiousness

Methodical, well organized, dutiful

BACK



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OCC Model

Positive NegativeJoy DistressPride HateLove FearHope RemorseRelief AngerGratitude Disappointme

nt+

Surprise Disgust

Expression

State

Joy joy, pride, love, hope, relief, gratitude

Sadness distress, remorse, disappointment

Anger anger, hateFear fear

Used from the OCC Model: Mapping emotional expressions on

emotional states

BACK



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AIBO shows emotional expressions

BACK

Happy

Sad AngryFear

Surprise Disgust

Hint:click on emotion to visualize movie



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AIBO Sensors and Features

BACK



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AIBO Sensors and Features

BACK

Documents

A model for a Companion AIBO