Intelligent emotion and behavior based on topological consciousness and adaptive resonance theory in a companion robot

Abstract

Abstract Companion or ‘pet’ robots can be expected to be an important part of a future in which robots contribute to our lives in many ways. An understanding of emotional interactions would be essential to such robots’ behavior. To improve the cognitive and behavior systems of such robots, we propose the use of an artificial topological consciousness that uses a synthetic neurotransmitter and motivation, including a biologically inspired emotion system. A fundamental aspect of a companion robot is a cross-communication system that enables natural interactions between humans and the robot. This paper focuses on three points in the development of our proposed framework: (1) the organization of the behavior including inside-state emotion regarding the phylogenetic consciousness-based architecture; (2) a method whereby the robot can have empathy toward its human user’s expressions of emotion; and (3) a method that enables the robot to select a facial expression in response to the human user, providing instant human-like ‘emotion’ and based on emotional intelligence (EI) that uses a biologically inspired topological online method to express, for example, encouragement or being delighted. We also demonstrate the performance of the artificial consciousness based on the complexity level and a robot’s social expressions that are designed to enhance the users affinity with the robot.