Teaching a pet-robot to understand user feedback through interactive virtual training tasks

Abstract In this paper, we present a human-robot teaching framework that uses "virtual" games as a means for adapting a robot to its user through natural interaction in a controlled environment. We present an experimental study in which participants instruct an AIBO pet robot while playing different games together on a computer generated playfield. By playing the games and receiving instruction and feedback from its user, the robot learns to understand the user's typical way of giving multimodal positive and negative feedback. The games are designed in such a way that the robot can reliably predict positive or negative feedback based on the game state and explore its user's reward behavior by making good or bad moves. We implemented a two-staged learning method combining Hidden Markov Models and a mathematical model of classical conditioning to learn how to discriminate between positive and negative feedback. The system combines multimodal speech and touch input for...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2010
• Where: AAMAS
• Authors: Anja Austermann, Seiji Yamada
• Keywords: AAMAS 2010, Feedback, Intelligent Agents, Negative Feedback, Robot