Watch: Meet Nadine,
the 'emotionally intelligent' companion robot
She's here to look after you.
What will robots look like in the future? Will
they retain obvious signs of their artificial nature, or will they seamlessly
blend in with people to such an extent that we might have difficulty telling
them apart from living, breathing humans?
If Nadine – a new social and 'emotionally
intelligent' robot from scientists in Singapore – is a sign of things to come,
realistic-looking humanoid machines might just have the edge over their
obviously artificial counterparts. How come? Because the physical resemblance
to ordinary people could help us interact with a machine in a more natural way,
whether at home, at work, or even if it were to look after us when we get old.
"Over the past four years, our team at
[Nanyang Technological University] have been fostering cross-disciplinary
research in social robotics technologies," said Nadia Thalmann, "to transform a
virtual human, from within a computer, into a physical being that is able to
observe and interact with other humans."
By employing linguistics and psychology in
addition to conventional robotics fields such as engineering and computer
science, the researchers have sought to blur the distinction between human and
machine. Nadine – which is designed to look like a physical doppelgänger of a
younger Thalmann – isn't exactly meant to fool us into thinking it's a real
woman, but it's supposed to help us relate to 'her' as if the robot were any
other ordinary person.
"This is somewhat like a real companion
that is always with you and conscious of what is happening," said Thalmann. "So in future, these
socially intelligent robots could be like C–3PO… with knowledge of language and
etiquette."
With soft skin and fairly convincing-looking
hair, Nadine is a pretty eerie emulation of an actual person, especially when
the face is moving, as you can see in the video above. Of course, those vacant
eyes could use a little work, and the robot's static, empty look in between
actions gives away that this isn't a real person.
Still, these are the kinds of things the
researchers are working on, and if some of Nadine's obvious 'tells' can be
eroded, it's possible that people interacting with the robot would be more at
ease, rather than less. Especially when it's programmed with a sense of
personality and 'emotions', and is designed to remember you and details of
previous conversations.
Nadine currently acts in the role of a
'receptionist' at Nanyang Technological University – a calling we've seen
other, somewhat more conspicuous robots fulfil. But
according to the researchers, this kind of technology could make the most sense
as domestic companions in the home, especially for those who need help in
caring for themselves.
"As countries worldwide face challenges
of an ageing population, social robots can be one solution to address the
shrinking workforce, become personal companions for children and the elderly at
home, and even serve as a platform for healthcare services in future,"
said Thalmann.
If you've seen the TV show Humans, you'll have an
idea of what that kind of system could look like. It might be a little while
before robots like Nadine are as convincing as Humans' 'synths',
but that day definitely looks like it's getting closer.