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Advanced Social Skills For Humanoid Robots

Posted by kdawson on from the attention-in-the-uncanny-valley dept.

Lanxon writes "A pan-European team of robotics researchers began a project this year that could see humanoid bots interact with groups of people in a realistic, anthropomorphic way for the first time. The 'humanoids with auditory and visual abilities in populated spaces' (HUMAVIPS) project has the ambitious goal of making humanoid bots just a bit more human by building algorithms that will enable bots to mimic what psychologists call the 'cocktail party effect' — the human ability to focus attention on just one person in the midst of other people, voices and background noise."

6 of 92 comments (clear)

  1. Wait ... you mean ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    soon robots will have better social skills than I do?

  2. Suggested tag... by Zoxed · · Score: 3, Funny

    > Advanced Social Skills For Humanoid Robots
    > ...
    > team of robotics researchers ...

    That story should be tagged "what-could-possibly-go-wrong" ;-)

  3. Re:Cocktail Party Effect by zappepcs · · Score: 3, Interesting

    You, my friend, have hit the nail on the head. Social interaction is not defined by a behavior pattern, but by patterns driven by desires, or goals as they term them scientifically. It's great to get a press release when you figure out how to mimic some human behavior, and more great when you get a program to mimic human thought. The trouble really comes when you try to mimic humans, they are unpredictable, non-logical, and down-right antagonistic to programmatic function. Build me a robot with low self-esteem and we can have a conversation. Build me a robot that can sell used cars, we have a few months of conversation, build me a robot that can sell oil to Arabs and we have a deal. Build me a wall street robot and we have a government contract !!!

    --
    Support NYCountryLawyer RIAA vs People
  4. Re:Yanee dah poo noo, ho ho ho by BadAnalogyGuy · · Score: 4, Informative

    That's not true. Sometimes it is necessary to have a droid who understands the binary language of moisture vaporators. That's something even poor moisture farmers need.

  5. Programmers giving robots social skills? by tomalpha · · Score: 3, Funny

    I think the small part of my brain that handles irony just segfaulted

  6. RE4 Prototype by HTH+NE1 · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Welcome, stranger."
    "Oh, hi."
    "What are ya buyin'?"
    "Nothin'."
    "What are ya sellin'?"
    "Nothin'."
    "Come back anytime."
    "Oh, OK."
    "Welcome, stranger."
    "Aaah!"

    --
    Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?