How Does It Feel? Emotional Interaction with a Humanoid LEGO Robot

Abstract

We report work on a LEGO robot capable of displaying several emotional expressions in response to physical contact. Our motivation has been to explore believable emotional exchangesto achieve plausible interaction with a simple robot. We have worked toward this goal in two ways. First, acknowledgingtheimportanceof physicalmanipulationin children’s interactions, interaction with the robot is through tactile stimulation; thevariouskindsofstimulation thatcanelicit therobot’s emotionsaregroundedin amodel of emotionactivation based on different stimulation patterns. Second, emotional states need to be clearly conveyed. We have drawn inspiration from theories of human basic emotions with associated universal facial expressions, which we have implemented in a caricaturized face. We have conducted experiments on children and adults to assess the recognizability of these expressions, and observed how people spontaneously interacting with Feelix respond to its emotional displays.