Embodiment and Algorithms for Human–Robot Interaction

Abstract

To many people, there is a boundary which exists between artificial intelligence (AI), sometimes referred to as an intelligent software agent, and the system which is controlled through AI primarily by the use of algorithms. One example of this dichotomy is robots which have a physical form, but whose behavior is highly dependent on the “AI algorithms” which direct its actions. More specifically, we can think of a software agent as an entity which is directed by algorithms that perform many intellectual activities currently done by humans. The software agent can exist in a virtual world (for example, a bot) or can be embedded in the software controlling a machine (for example, a robot). For many current robots controlled by algorithms, they represent semi-intelligent hardware that repetitively perform tasks in physical environments. This observation is based on the fact that most robotic applications for industrial use since the middle of the last century have been driven by algorithms that support repetitive machine motions. In many cases, industrial robots which typically work in closed environments, say, for example, factory floors, do not need “advanced” techniques of AI to function because they perform daily routines with algorithms directing the repetitive motions of their end effectors. However, lately, there is an emerging technological trend which has resulted from the combination of AI and robots, which, by using sophisticated algorithms, allows robots to adapt complex work styles and to function socially in open environments. We may call these merged technological products “embodied AI,” or in a more general sense, “embodied algorithms.”