Communications of the ACM
Enhanced 'Listening Skill' Makes Robot Better at Talking
Researchers at Osaka and Kyoto universities in Japan have given a conversational human-like robot greater ability to have a natural dialogue with people by enhancing its listening skills.
Credit: moneycontrol.com
Researchers at Osaka and Kyoto universities in Japan have upgraded a conversational human-like robot, giving it greater ability to have a natural dialogue with people by enhancing its listening skills.
They say the ERICA robot was specifically designed for natural conversation through the incorporation of human-like facial expressions and gestures.
In developing the upgrade, the researchers focused on creating a system for "attentive listening," meaning that a listener asks elaborating questions, or repeats the last word of the speaker's sentence, allowing for more engaging dialogue.
The team used a series of distance sensors, facial recognition cameras, and microphone arrays to collect data on parameters necessary for a fluid dialogue between ERICA and a human subject.
The robot's responses are generated through machine learning using counseling dialogue texts, resulting in dramatically improved dialogue engagement.
Said Kyoto University’s Tatsuya Kawahara, "Making a human-like conversational robot is a major challenge. This project reveals how much complexity there is in listening, which we might consider mundane."
From Money Control
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