System Integration for Cognitive Model of a Robot Partner

This paper introduces the integrated system of a smart-device-based cognitive robot partner called iPhonoid-C. Interaction with a robot partner requires many elements, including verbal communication, nonverbal communication, and embodiment as well. A robot partner should be able to understand human sentences, as well as nonverbal information such as human gestures. In the proposed system, the robot has an emotional model connecting the input information from the human with the robot’s behavior. Since emotions are involved in human natural communication, and emotion has a significant impact on humans’ actions, it is important to develop an emotional model for the robot partner to enhance human robot interaction. In our proposed system, human sentences and gestures influence the robot’s emotional state, and then the robot will perform gestural and facial expressions and generate sentences according to its emotional state. The proposed cognitive method is validated using a real robot partner.