Effect of Emotional Feedback in a Decision-Making System for an Autonomous Agent

Abstract

The point of view of Isaac Asimov is unlikely in a close future, but machines that develop tasks in a sensible manner are already a fact. In light of this remark, recent research tries to understand the requirements and design options that imply providing an autonomous agent with means for detecting emotions. If we think about of exporting this model to machines, it is possible that they become capable to evolve emotionally according to such models and would take part in the society more or less cooperatively, according to the perceived emotional state. The main purpose of this research is the implementation of a decision model affected by emotional feedback in a cognitive robotic assistant that can capture information about the world around it. The robot will use multi-modal communication to assist the societal participation of persons deprived of conventional modes of communication. The aim is a machine that can predict what the user will do next and be ready to give the best possible assistance, taking in account the emotional factor. The results indicate the benefits and importance of emotional feedback in the closed loop human-robot interaction framework. Cognitive agents are shown to be capable of adapting to emotional information from humans.