Author: Christoph Bartneck

Subtle Expressivity For Characters And Robots

Call For CHI2003 Workshop on Subtle Expressivity For Characters And Robots

Humans, both consciously and unconsciously, use subtle expressions to communicate their emotions and intentions through variations of the gaze direction, pitch of speech and gesture speed. They form their own class of communication acts. Embodied characters, including robots, need to use subtle expressions to become believable communication partners.

The design and evaluation of subtle expressivity are challenges for designers and researchers of embodied characters. How do the subtle variations in expression influence the interaction? What types of subtle expressions are most important for the design of interactive media? How can the effect of the expressions be reliably measured? Continue reading “Subtle Expressivity For Characters And Robots”

eMuu

eMuu is an embodied emotional Robot designed as an interface between the ambient intelligent home and its inhabitants. This project was carried out as a cooperation between Philips Research, Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and the Advanced Telecommunication Research Institute International (ATR). eMuu is an ongoing project in the Social Robotics track at the Department of Industrial Design at the TU/e. Continue reading “eMuu”

Emotional Adaptive Robots

In analogy to living creatures in nature, two robots will live in a constrained environment, which forces them to compete for resources. The robots will have certain attributes and behaviors, which will evolve through an adaptive system. This will lead to the development of different strategies for survival. Observers will be able to understand the situation and its dynamics by observing and listening to the emotional expressions of the robots. Continue reading “Emotional Adaptive Robots”

Social Robotics

Robots will play an important role in society. We need to ensure that robots are socially compatible with us in order for society to accept them. Research into the social aspects of human-robot interaction will enable engineers to constructs robots that successfully integrate into our everyday lives. This page summarizes my activities in the field of social robotics.

You may also want to have a look at the International Journal of Social Robotics and the Entertainment Robotics Section of the Entertainment Computing Journal. We are actively involved in these journals and are welcoming contributions.

Research

My research focuses on the social interaction between humans and robots. Therefore my work is closer to the field of artificial intelligence and psychology than electrical or mechanical engineering. You can contribute to the discussion about social robots at the Wikipedia. The following PhD students are or have been associated to this project:

Major projects are:

Robots

For the various studies it was necessary to build robots or to adapt existing robots. We also have some professional photos of the iCat Robot and Nao vs. Aibo.

Cooperations

Cooperation and teamwork with leading robotic institutes and researchers are essential for the success of robotic projects. Please contact me if you would be interested in a cooperation.