Robots Are Getting More Sociable
From: MSNBC - 02/18/2003
By: Alan Boyle

Scientists are trying to build sociable robots that could be used not only to
better understand human social interaction, but to assist people both
physically and psychologically. "Robots have always been an intriguing mirror
to our own conception of what it means to be a human," observes MIT professor
Cynthia Breazeal, who developed the Kismet robot and is now working on a more
advanced machine called Leonardo. In the physical arena, researchers such as
Yoseph Bar-Cohen at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are developing
electrically-driven plastic muscles that could be utilized in the next
generation of prosthetic and robotic appendages. Meanwhile, University of
Texas graduate student David Hanson has designed K-Bot, a robot with a
realistic, human-like face that is adept at mimicking human expressions it
picks up through its camera-equipped eyes. Although K-Bot resembles Disney's
animatronic puppets, Hanson notes that it is intelligent, and is able to
identify facial expressions and respond with its own expressions in real
time. He plans to equip K-Bot with a speaker so that the machine can generate
speech, and make its software smarter. More sophisticated robot faces could
be used for cognitive research or even to train human beings in socialization
skills. "The ultimate goal is to create a compassionate, sociable robot that
begins to approach on various aspect of human intelligence, and someday
become our peer," Hanson explains. 

Links:
http://www.msnbc.com/news/874039.asp?0si=-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/sci_tech/newsid_2772000/2772073.stm
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993398
http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/2-17-2003-35754.asp
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0%2C3604%2C897581%2C00.html