Alle Publikationen
2018
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(2018): Artificial unintelligence. How computers misunderstand the world. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press
Abstract: A guide to understanding the inner workings and outer limits of technology and why we should never assume that computers always get it right. In Artificial Unintelligence, Meredith Broussard argues that our collective enthusiasm for applying computer technology to every aspect of life has resulted in a tremendous amount of poorly designed systems. We are so eager to do everything digitally—hiring, driving, paying bills, even choosing romantic partners—that we have stopped demanding that our technology actually work. Broussard, a software developer and journalist, reminds us that there are fundamental limits to what we can (and should) do with technology. With this book, she offers a guide to understanding the inner workings and outer limits of technology—and issues a warning that we should never assume that computers always get things right. Making a case against technochauvinism—the belief that technology is always the solution—Broussard argues that it's just not true that social problems would inevitably retreat before a digitally enabled Utopia. To prove her point, she undertakes a series of adventures in computer programming. She goes for an alarming ride in a driverless car, concluding “the cyborg future is not coming any time soon”; uses artificial intelligence to investigate why students can't pass standardized tests; deploys machine learning to predict which passengers survived the Titanic disaster; and attempts to repair the U.S. campaign finance system by building AI software. If we understand the limits of what we can do with technology, Broussard tells us, we can make better choices about what we should do with it to make the world better for everyone.
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(2018): SEAI. Social Emotional Artificial Intelligence Based on Damasio’s Theory of Mind. In: Frontiers in Robotics and AI 5. DOI: 10.3389/frobt.2018.00006
Abstract: A socially intelligent robot must be capable to extract meaningful information in real time from the social environment and react accordingly with coherent human-like behavior. Moreover, it should be able to internalize this information, to reason on it at a higher level, build its own opinions independently, and then automatically bias the decision-making according to its unique experience. In the last decades, neuroscience research highlighted the link between the evolution of such complex behavior and the evolution of a certain level of consciousness, which cannot leave out of a body that feels emotions as discriminants and prompters. In order to develop cognitive systems for social robotics with greater human-likeliness, we used an “understanding by building” approach to model and implement a well-known theory of mind in the form of an artificial intelligence, and we tested it on a sophisticated robotic platform. The name of the presented system is SEAI (Social Emotional Artificial Intelligence), a cognitive system specifically conceived for social and emotional robots. It is designed as a bio-inspired, highly modular, hybrid system with emotion modeling and high-level reasoning capabilities. It follows the deliberative/reactive paradigm where a knowledge-based expert system is aimed at dealing with the high-level symbolic reasoning, while a more conventional reactive paradigm is deputed to the low-level processing and control. The SEAI system is also enriched by a model that simulates the Damasio’s theory of consciousness and the theory of Somatic Markers. After a review of similar bio-inspired cognitive systems, we present the scientific foundations and their computational formalization at the basis of the SEAI framework. Then, a deeper technical description of the architecture is disclosed underlining the numerous parallelisms with the human cognitive system. Finally, the influence of artificial emotions and feelings, and their link with the robot’s beliefs and decisions have been tested in a physical humanoid involved in Human–Robot Interaction (HRI).
Keywords: Abstraktionsfähigkeit, Bewusstsein, Damasio's theory of consciousness, emotion, Fähigkeit, sich eine eigene Meinung zu bilden, Intelligenz, Interaktionspartner, Mensch oder Maschine, Menschsein als Voraussetznug für soziale Angemessenheit?, Schnelligkeit der Informationsverarbeitung (real time), theory of mind, Theory of Somatic Markers 2017
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(2017) : Strategies and mechanisms to enable dialogue agents to respond appropriately to indirect speech acts In: IEEE Ro-Man: Human-robot collaboration and human assistance for an improved quality of life: IEEE RO-MAN 2017 : 26th IEEE International Symposium on Robot and Human Ineractive Communication : August 28-September 1, 2017, Lisbon, Portugal: Piscataway, NJ: IEEE, S. 323-328
Abstract: Humans often use indirect speech acts (ISAs) when issuing directives. Much of the work in handling ISAs in computational dialogue architectures has focused on correctly identifying and handling the underlying non-literal meaning. There has been less attention devoted to how linguistic responses to ISAs might differ from those given to literal directives and how to enable different response forms in these computational dialogue systems. In this paper, we present ongoing work toward developing dialogue mechanisms within a cognitive, robotic architecture that enables a richer set of response strategies to non-literal directives.
Keywords: Antworten im Rahmen einer Konversation, Computerwissenschaft, indirect speech acts, Indirektheit, Informations- & Kommunikationstechnik, Interaktionspartner, Konversationsanalyse, Korrespondenz, Künstliche Intelligenz, Linguistik, Mensch oder Maschine, Mensch-Technik-Relationen (MTR), nicht wörtlich, non-literal meaning, Realtechnik, Semantik, Soziale Robotik, Sprachgebrauch, Sprachroboter, Sprachverarbeitung, Sprechakt, Technik, Unterschiedliche Antworten je nach Direktheit/Indirektheit des vorherigen Sprechaktes -
(2017): The Influence of Politeness Behavior on User Compliance with Social Robots in a Healthcare Service Setting. In: International Journal of Social Robotics 9 (5), S. 727-743. DOI: 10.1007/s12369-017-0420-0
Abstract: Particularly in the healthcare service domain, social robots are expected to be good assistants, advisers, or practitioners. To increase the effectiveness of healthcare services provided by social robots, patients must comply with their requests. Research is plentiful on what makes patients comply with healthcare advice. In this paper, which is based on Bulgurcu's study of rationality-based beliefs, command-compliance theory, and social exchange theory, we propose a research model of compliance during interaction with social robots, examining beliefs about and overall assessments of the consequences of complying with robot requests and extending the findings of previous studies to the setting of healthcare services. We specifically investigate the perceived level of politeness in robots' speech and gestures as a determinant of compliance intention. Using a social robot, NAO, as a provider of healthcare services, we conducted an experiment. The results suggest that the aforementioned theories are useful in understanding user behaviors toward social robots in a healthcare service setting. Interestingly, and unlike in other settings, the perceived level of politeness of a social robot in a healthcare service setting negatively affects the perceived benefit of compliance, and, hence, intention to comply. A lower politeness level is closer to a command or strong recommendation than a suggestion or causal recommendation, which is common in shopping, tourism, or convention settings. The findings of this study imply that polite behavior from a social robot is an important factor in the compliance of healthcare service users. Direct speech with polite gestures is the most effective way to increase patient compliance in with healthcare advice provided by social robots in healthcare settings. However, higher levels of politeness do not always increase patients' intention to comply.
Keywords: Assistenztechnik, Befehle/eindringliche Empfehlung als Marker für Unhöflichkeit, Compliance, Disziplin, doppelter Treffer, Höflichkeit, Höflichkeitsforschung, human-robot interaction, Ingenieurswissenschaft, Interaktionspartner, Medizin, Mensch oder Maschine, Mensch-Technik-Relationen (MTR), polite social interaction, Politeness, Politeness Theory, Realtechnik, Robotics, Serviceroboter, Social exchange theory, Social robot, Soziale Angemessenheit, Soziale Robotik, Technik, Technikbezug 2016
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(2016): Beyond Technological Mediation. In: Techné: Research in Philosophy and Technology 20 (3), S. 177-197. DOI: 10.5840/techne201671949
Abstract: Several philosophers of technology have argued that technology mediates human actions. For example, in the branch of post-phenomenology, authors such as Don Ihde and Peter-Paul Verbeek have described the mediating aspects of technology in terms of morality of technology (more prominent in Verbeek) as well as in the sense that technology changes our perception of ourselves and the world (more prominent in Ihde). In this article, different existing types of mediation are presented, critiqued, and enriched. The four types are illustrated by referring to military high-tech environments with a focus on visual data and imaging technologies. These technologies can mediate actions (1) by inviting certain behavior, (2) through amplification and reduction, (3) through built-in norms, and (4) through interpretation. The four types of mediation mainly focus on the technology or technological artifact itself. What these approaches fail to grasp, however, is the specific user practices in which most technologies function. In this article, it is argued that to understand the mediating aspects of technology more fully, attention should be paid to the specific user context in which the technology functions. Therefore, an enriched understanding of the four types of mediation of technology is proposed by taking the lens of normative practices and analyzing the different types of mediation through this lens. The Kunduz airstrike incident, which took place in 2009 in Afghanistan, is a case in which a visual data sharing device called Rover played a prominent role. This case is used in this article to illustrate how technology mediates human actions in military practice.
Keywords: Bürger vs. Staat, Disziplin, Grundlagenreflexion, Im (wissenschaftlichen) Diskurs, Interaktionspartner, Mensch oder Maschine, Mensch-Technik-Relationen (MTR), Militär, Philosophie, Reflexionen über MTR, Sozialer Raum / Kultureller Kontext, Spezifischer Nutzer-Kontext beim Benutzer der Maschine, Technikphilosophie, (Theory of) technological mediation, Verbeek, Zeitschrift: techne -
(2016): Communication Networks in Task-Performing Groups. In: Small Group Research 31 (2), S. 131-157. DOI: 10.1177/104649640003100201
Abstract: In an experiment on the emergence of communication networks, 48 groups, each consisting of 4 or 5 members, were randomly assigned to the cells of a 2 (high vs. low time pressure) x 2 (high vs. low task complexity) factorial design and completed a decision-making task. The interpersonal dominance of each member was measured via the Dominance scale of the Personality Research Form (PRF). Results showed that members higher in dominance emerged as more central in the group communication network both sending and receiving more messages than members lower in dominance. Group members correctly perceived that those higher in dominance participated more in discussion. Communication was more centralized in groups that worked on the low complexity task than in groups that worked on the high complexity task Members correctly perceived that participation was more unequally distributed in more centralized groups. An anticipated interaction effect, with time pressure moderating the effect of task complexity was not supported.
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(2016): Multiple Audiences as Text Stakeholders. A Conceptual Framework for Analyzing Complex Rhetorical Situations. In: Argumentation 30 (4), S. 467-499. DOI: 10.1007/s10503-016-9394-6
Abstract: In public communication contexts, such as when a company announces the proposal for an important organizational change, argumentation typically involves multiple audiences, rather than a single and homogenous group, let alone an individual interlocutor. In such cases, an exhaustive and precise characterization of the audience structure is crucial both for the arguer, who needs to design an effective argumentative strategy, and for the external analyst, who aims at reconstructing such a strategic discourse. While the peculiar relevance of multiple audience is often emphasized in the argumentation literature and in rhetorical studies, proposals for modelling multi-audience argumentative situations remain scarce and unsystematic. To address this gap, we propose an analytical framework which integrates three conceptual constructs: (1) Rigotti and Rocci's notion of communicative activity type, understood as the implementation of an interaction scheme into a piece of institutional reality, named interaction field; (2) the stakeholder concept, originally developed in strategic management and public relations studies to refer to any actor who affects and/or is affected by the organizational actions and who, accordingly, carries an interest in them; (3) the concept of participant role as it emerges from Goffman's theory of conversation analysis and related linguistic and media studies. From this integration, we derive the notion of text stakeholder for referring to any organizational actor whose interest (stake) becomes an argumentative issue which the organizational text must account for in order to effectively achieve its communicative aim. The text stakeholder notion enables a more comprehensive reconstruction and characterization of multiple audience by eliciting the relevant participants staged in a text and identifying, for each of them, the interactional role they have, the peculiar interest they bear and the related argumentative issue they create. Considering as an illustrative case the defense document issued by a corporation against a hostile takeover attempt made by another corporation, we show how this framework can support the analysis of strategic maneuvering by better defining the audience demand and, so, better explaining how real arguers design and adapt their topical and presentational choices.
Keywords: breites Publikum, Communicative Activity Type nach Rigotti und Rocci, Goffman, Interaktionspartner, Kommunikation, Kommunikationswissenschaft, Konversationsanalyse, Öffentliche Darstellung, Öffentlicher vs. privater Raum, Öffentlichkeit, Publikumswirksamkeit, Rhetorik, Sozialer Raum / Kultureller Kontext, stakeholder, Stakeholder Concept (of Communication), Strategien zur Erlangung von Sympathie, Theory of interaction (Goffman), Wissen um Normen -
(2016): Socializing robots. Constructing robotic sociality in the design and use of the assistive robot PARO. In: AI & Society 31 (4), S. 537-551. DOI: 10.1007/s00146-015-0636-1
Abstract: The goal of introducing robots into everyday use has led to their reconceptualization as social technologies, for which interacting with people is a fundamental and necessary function. Robot sociality in this context is generally defined as a set of individual properties of the artifact, such as a human-like appearance or the ability to read social cues. In this paper, we propose an alternative view of robot sociality as an emergent relational property of the interactions between the robot and its social context, actively constructed by designers, users, and other actors affected by robots. We illustrate this perspective through the example of the robot PARO, a commercial social robot commonly used in eldercare, which we analyzed in a series of observational studies of the social processes of its design in the laboratory and its use in an eldercare facility. Our analysis shows how the robot as a social technology is constructed through the actions and sense making of various actors and the situated dynamics of interaction in particular institutional contexts. We first describe the social factors and rationale that influenced PARO's design in the laboratory, and then discuss how the robot is scaffolded by users in a nursing home in the midwestern United States. Our studies go beyond the typical focus on one-on-one interaction between people and robots as the unit of analysis of human-robot interaction, to incorporate the broader social context as a necessary component of the successful design and implementation of social robots in society.
Keywords: Design, Disziplin, Favoriten, Ingenieurswissenschaft, Interaktionspartner, Mensch oder Maschine, Mensch-Technik-Relationen (MTR), Modelle/Theorien, Realtechnik, robot sociality depending on the robots social context, Serviceroboter, Soziale Angemessenheit, Soziale Robotik, Technik, Wahrnehmung des Roboters im gesamten sozialen Umfeld -
(2016): Design and Evaluation of a Touch-Centered Calming Interaction with a Social Robot. In: IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing 7 (2), S. 108-121. DOI: 10.1109/TAFFC.2015.2457893
Abstract: With advances in sensor and actuator design, intelligent computing techniques and personal care robotics, today's robots hold promise as fully interactive, therapeutic human companions. To achieve this ambitious goal, key interaction components must be identified and then systematically designed and evaluated. Based on successes of human-animal therapy, we propose affective touch as one such component. Delivering this adjunct in a controllable robot form allows us to examine its efficacy for therapeutic applications such as anxiety management. With an approach grounded in social cognitive theories for human-animal relations, we deployed a social robot, the Haptic Creature, in an interaction designed to be calming: participants held the robot on their laps and stroked it as it was breathing. As a result, their heart and respiration rates significantly decreased relative to stroking a non-breathing robot. They also reported themselves as calmer and happier.
2015
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(2015) : Social Driving in Connected Car Environment In: VDE: Proceedings of European Wireless 2015; 21th European Wireless Conference: Frankfurt am Main, Germany: VDE, S. 1-6. Online verfügbar unter https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7147682/
Abstract: Considering how the number of smartphones have increased and also how social networks became part of our daily life, it is predictable that social network driven services are about to dominate the near future. It is also noticeable that more and more external devices are involved in different type of IT solutions. These are smart watches, smarthome devices and even transportation devices. Furthermore, different smart city concepts are also becoming more and more popular. In this paper, we propose a mobile application based smart transportation solution, called Social Driving that combines the smart city concept with green transportation. Social Driving is based on our VehicleICT framework that is also introduced in this report. The base idea is that drivers can monitor different parameters of their cars and driving style, such as fuel consumption and CO2 emission, furthermore, they can compare these values with other drivers using similar cars and similar engine types. The solution creates different statistics and as a rewarding system motivates people to use their cars more efficiently. We describe architecture of the social driving concept, show and elaborate different measurement results derived from test drives and discuss the effectiveness of the system.
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(2015): Designing Robot Embodiments for Social Interaction. Affordances Topple Realism and Aesthetics. In: International Journal of Social Robotics 7 (5), S. 697-708. DOI: 10.1007/s12369-015-0301-3
Abstract: In the near future, human-like social robots will become indispensable for providing support in various social tasks, in particular for healthcare (e.g., assistance, coaching). The perception of realism, in particular human-like features, can help facilitate mediated social interaction. The current study investigated the effects of form realism on engagement with and use intentions of social robot embodiments. We have defined (perceived) form realism as the result of the appraisal of features that are perceived as realistic contrasted with those appraised as unrealistic. To test the effects of form realism, we applied the model of interactively perceiving and experiencing fictional characters (I-PEFiC). I-PEFiC explains how users respond to interactive, fictional, humanoid characters, on social robots. In a within-subjects design, participants (N = 29; M-age = 28.8 years, age range 18-56 years) interacted with three different robots built from LEGO Mindstorms, which differed in their degree of designed form realism. Each robot presented itself as a physiotherapy assistant and requested the participant to do several exercises. Results of a structured questionnaire indicated that form realism only played a modest role in the perception of electro-mechanical robots. Instead, the perception of affordances appeared to be crucial for determining engagement and intentions to use social robots.
2014
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(2014): Social behaviours in dog-owner interactions can serve as a model for designing social robots. In: Interaction Studies 15 (2), S. 143-172. DOI: 10.1075/is.15.2.01far
Abstract: It is essential for social robots to fit in the human society. In order to facilitate this process we propose to use the family dog's social behaviour shown towards humans as an inspiration. In this study we explored dogs' low level social monitoring in dog-human interactions and extracted individually consistent and context dependent behaviours in simple everyday social scenarios. We found that proximity seeking and tail wagging were most individually distinctive in dogs, while activity, orientation towards the owner, and exploration were dependent on the context and/or the activity of the owner. The functional analogues of these dog behaviours can be implemented in social robots of different embodiments in order to make them acceptable and more believable for humans. The paper presents an ethological perspective on designing robot behaviors for successful social interactions with humans. In particular, the types of behaviors that occur in interactions between dogs and their owners are analyzed to provide insights into how robot behaviors should be created. It is essential for social robots to fit in the human society. In order to facilitate this process we propose to use the family dog's social behaviour shown towards humans as an inspiration. In this study we explored dogs' low level social monitoring in dog-human interactions and extracted individually consistent and context dependent behaviours in simple everyday social scenarios. We found that proximity seeking and tail wagging were most individually distinctive in dogs, while activity, orientation towards the owner, and exploration were dependent on the context and/or the activity of the owner. The functional analogues of these dog behaviours can be implemented in social robots of different embodiments in order to make them acceptable and more believable for humans.
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(2014): Improving the modeling of dog-owner interactions for the design of social robots. In: Interaction Studies 15 (2), S. 180-183. DOI: 10.1075/is.15.2.03nic
Abstract: The paper presents an ethological perspective on designing robot behaviors for successful social interactions with humans. In particular, the types of behaviors that occur in interactions between dogs and their owners are analyzed to provide insights into how robot behaviors should be created.
2013
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(2013): Design of a Parametric Model of Personal Space for Robotic Social Navigation. In: International Journal of Social Robotics 5 (3), S. 357-365. DOI: 10.1007/s12369-013-0188-9
Abstract: The design of socially acceptable behaviours is becoming one major issue for the development of robots that are able to interact with humans in unconstrained environments. In particular, social behaviours such as gazing, mutual positioning or gesturing allow robots to initiate and maintain an information exchange with humans. This paper focuses on (1) the study of mutual positioning between a small humanoid robot and a person through two psychometric experiments and (2) the design of a parametric model of the personal space based on the results of the two experiments. Results suggest that human-human interpersonal distances are shorter than human-robot interpersonal distances during a communication exchange, at least for the small humanoid robot used in our experiments. We also found that participants evaluate different directions of approach in a significantly different way.
Keywords: Design, Disziplin, doppelter Treffer, Favoriten, Ingenieurswissenschaft, Interaktionspartner, Mensch oder Maschine, Mensch-Technik-Relationen (MTR), Observablen/Kriterien für sozial angemessenes Verhalten und dessen Bewertung, Physische Größe eines Roboters (im Vergleich zum Menschen), Proxemik, Realtechnik, Serviceroboter, Soziale Angemessenheit, Soziale Robotik, Technik, Volltreffer 2012
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(2012): Natural interaction with culturally adaptive virtual characters. In: Journal on Multimodal User Interfaces 6 (1-2), S. 39-47. DOI: 10.1007/s12193-011-0087-z
Abstract: Recently, the verbal and non-verbal behavior of virtual characters has become more and more sophisticated due to advances in behavior planning and rendering. Nevertheless, the appearance and behavior of these characters is in most cases based on the cultural background of their designers. Especially in combination with new natural interaction interfaces, there is the risk that characters developed for a particular culture might not find acceptance when being presented to another culture. A few attempts have been made to create characters that reflect a particular cultural background. However, interaction with these characters still remains an awkward experience in particular when it comes to non-verbal interaction. In many cases, human users either have to choose actions from a menu their avatar has to execute or they have to struggle with obtrusive interaction devices. In contrast, our paper combines an approach to the generation of culture-specific behaviors with full body avatar control based on the Kinect sensor. A first study revealed that users are able to easily control an avatar through their body movements and immediately adapt its behavior to the cultural background of the agents they interact with.
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(2012): Effects of etiquette strategy on human–robot interaction in a simulated medicine delivery task. In: Intelligent Service Robotics 5 (3), S. 199-210. DOI: 10.1007/s11370-012-0113-3
Abstract: The objective of this study was to examine the extent to which a model of linguistic etiquette in human–human interaction could be applied to human–robot interaction (HRI) domain, and how different etiquette strategies proposed through the model might influence performance of humans and robots as mediated by manipulations of robot physical features, in a simulated medicine delivery task. A “wizard of Oz” experiment was conducted in which either a humanoid robot or a mechanical-looking robot was used to present medicine reminding utterances (following different etiquette strategies) to participants, who were engaged in a primary cognitive task (a Sudoku puzzle). Results revealed the etiquette model to partially extend to the HRI domain. Participants were not sensitive to positive language from robots (e.g., appreciation of human values/wants) and such a strategy did not succeed in supporting or enhancing the “positive face” of human users. Both “bald” (no linguistic courtesy) and mixed strategies (positive and “negative face” (minimizing user imposition) saving) resulted in moderate user perceived etiquette scores (PE). However, individual differences suggested such robot linguistic strategies should be applied with caution. Opposite to this, a negative face saving strategy (supporting user freedom of choice) promoted user task and robot performance (in terms of user response time to robot requests), and resulted in the highest PE score. There was also evidence that humanoid robot features provide additional social cues that may be used by patients and support human and robot performance, but not PE. These results provide a basis for determining appropriate etiquette strategies and robot appearance to promote better collaborative task performances for future health care delivery applications of service robots.
Keywords: Anerkennung von Werten/Bedürfnissen, appropriate social interaction, Disziplin, doppelter Treffer, Etikette, Face, Face-Saving, Favoriten, Höflichkeit, Höflichkeitsforschung, Human-robot etiquette, Ingenieurswissenschaft, Interaktionspartner, Linguistik, Medicine delivery, Medizin, Mensch oder Maschine, Mensch-Technik-Relationen (MTR), Mensch-Technische Systeme, Negative face saving, Patient compliance, Patient-robot interaction, Realtechnik, Serviceroboter, Soziale Angemessenheit, Soziale Robotik, Technik, Technikbezug, Volltreffer, Wahlfreiheit (eines Nutzers/Interaktionspartners), Wertendes Sprachverhalten 2011
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(2011) : Etiquette In Distributed Game-Based Training: Communication, Trust, Cohesion In: Hayes, Caroline C.; Miller, Christopher Allan (Hg.): Human-computer etiquette: Cultural expectations and the design implications they place on computers and technology: Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press, S. 181-204
Abstract: In this chapter we will explore the use of etiquette in training systems derived from commercial video games. e system that will be used as an example is a training and debrie¤ng tool that allows distributed participants to train together in a virtual game environment, and to conduct After Action Review (AAR) sessions in that same environment. In AAR sessions, participants discuss the events that unfolded during training, and how to improve performance in the future. However, we will ¤rst present a concise history of humancomputer etiquette, followed by a description of the unique etiquette requirements that game systems demand. We will then describe how game systems can be used for team training in complex tasks, and the etiquette requirements that must drive that application. An important consideration we address along the way is the analogy between human-computer and human-human etiquette.
Keywords: Analogy btwn human-computer and human-human etiquette, Computers, doppelter Treffer, Etikette, Game-based, Human-Computer Etiquette, Informations- & Kommunikationstechnik, Interaktionspartner, Mensch oder Maschine, Mensch-Technik-Relationen (MTR), Mensch-Technische Systeme, Realtechnik, Situationsbedingter Kontext, Soziale Angemessenheit, Spiel, Technik -
(2011): Planning Small Talk behavior with cultural influences for multiagent systems. In: Computer Speech & Language 25 (2), S. 158-174. DOI: 10.1016/j.csl.2010.04.001
Abstract: There are several factors that influence communicative behavior, such as gender, personality or culture. As virtual agents interact in a more and more human-like manner, their behavior should be dependent on social factors as well. Culture is a phenomenon that affects one's behavior without one realizing it. Behavior is thus sometimes perceived as inappropriate because there is no awareness of the cultural gap. Thus, we think cultural background should also influence the communication behavior of virtual agents. Behavioral differences are sometimes easy to recognize by humans but still hard to describe formally, to enable integration into a system that automatically generates culture-specific behavior. In our work, we focus on culture-related differences in the domain of casual Small Talk. Our model of culture-related differences in Small Talk behavior is based on findings described in the literature as well as on a video corpus that was recorded in Germany and Japan. In a validation study, we provide initial evidence that our simulation of culture-specific Small Talk with virtual agents is perceived differently by human observers. We thus implemented a system that automatically generates culture-specific Small Talk dialogs for virtual agents. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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(2011) : Politechnology: Manners Maketh Machine In: Hayes, Caroline C.; Miller, Christopher Allan (Hg.): Human-computer etiquette: Cultural expectations and the design implications they place on computers and technology: Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press, S. 351-362
Abstract: There is an old English saying that "Manners maketh man." The original quotation is attributed to William of Wykeham and is a simple aphorism that acknowledges the tacit assumption that for human beings to live and thrive collectively, there must be a degree of formalization about their social intercourse. Although the bedrock of such mutual behavior would seem to be the law, our actual sharing of common assumptions goes much deeper. For we must all learn the social conventions first through the mediation of perception, the beginnings of language, and subsequently complex conventions and naming processes. These capabilities are assimilated at our parents' feet. They are the very stuff of maturation, and although the precise conventions are highly culturally bound, the learning process itself cuts across all human experience. Now, into our diverse human cultures come potentially intelligent machines. And in respect of their growth and maturation, we can ask two critical questions. First, to what degree do these nascent centers of intentionality and potential consciousness need to adhere to the principles of human social intercourse? Second, and equally as important, do these machine have a collective of their own which now bestrides all human cultures? If they do, to what degree do they act on us as agents of convergent human cultural evolution? In asking these questions we also have to face the logical antithesis to all human-centered technological approaches, viz, should machines necessarily be made to behave according to human-centered rules? Is this their best mode of organization? Although the latter query might be antithetical heresy to those imbued with the spirit of human factors, it is a proposition we should always be obliged to consider. Overall, this a rather daunting set of issues to face, and so let us decompose the challenges they present so that we can consider them in their various component parts.
Keywords: doppelter Treffer, Etikette, Etiquette, Favoriten, Höflichkeit, Interaktionspartner, Konventionen, Mensch oder Maschine, Mensch-Maschine-Kommunikation, Mensch-Technik-Interaktion, Mensch-Technik-Relationen (MTR), Mensch-Technische Systeme, Politeness, Potential independence of machine rules of behavior from human rules of behavior, Realtechnik, Sozial Intelligente Agenten, Soziale Robotik, Soziosensitive Systeme, Technik, Umgangsformen, Volltreffer, Voraussetzungen für sozial angemessenes Verhalten -
(2011): What Korean apologies require of politeness theory. In: Journal of Pragmatics 43 (5), S. 1303-1317. DOI: 10.1016/j.pragma.2010.10.028
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2010.10.028 Abstract: This paper examines a corpus of Korean apologies to discover why a person apologizes and why they choose the form of apology that they do. It argues for an abstracted, generalized politeness1 model (Locher and Watts, 2005; Watts, 2003) in which politeness work in Korean is primarily concerned with relationship construction (Arundale, 2006; Haugh, 2007c; Matsumoto, 1988). This will involve both a notion of face, conceived as a psychological, acquired construct, and a set of frames (Terkourafi, 2005) that do not directly reference face. To arrive at this theoretical point, the paper begins by examining the social factors that influence choices in apology forms as predicted by Brown and Levinson (1987). Brown and Levinson’s model accurately predicts the relevance of many factors in form selection in Korean, such as relative power, social distance, and the severity of the act. However, the model itself is not an accurate model for Korean even in high abstraction. Instead of choosing a strategy based upon the weight of a face-threatening act, Koreans actively manage and create expectations for behavior in a relationship. Some expectations will resemble classic positive and negative face issues, while others will more directly reference culture-specific roles or common events.
Keywords: Angesicht, Apologies, Brown and Levinson's model, Distanz, Disziplin, Entschuldigung, Entschuldigungsforschung, Ernsthaftigkeit einer Situation, Erwartungen, Face, frames, Gesichtswahrung, Höflichkeit, Höflichkeitsforschung, Interaktionspartner, Korean, Kultur, Kulturelle Normen, Kulturspezifizität, Kulturtheorie, Linguistik, Macht, Politeness, Situationsbedingter Kontext, Sociolinguistics, Soziale Angemessenheit, Soziale Distanz, Soziale Hierarchie, Sozialer Abstand, Sprachgebrauch -
(2011): Towards Social Robots. Designing an Emotion-Based Architecture. In: International Journal of Social Robotics 3 (3), S. 273-290. DOI: 10.1007/s12369-010-0087-2
Abstract: Service and assistant robots operating in "real world" become more and more important for everyday life. Requirements like social intelligence, social interaction, and social behavior are of enormous importance. Researchers agree that the realization of emotions for a robot is one of the most important steps on the way towards social robots. Still, an open question in robotics is how to model emotion in a way that all its functions are realized. In this paper an emotion-based architecture is presented. The architecture supports the implementation of the five functions of emotion, namely: regulative function, selective function, expressive function, motivational function, and rating function. Scalability, perceptibility, and parameterability are also considered as design features. As basis for the proposed architecture, psychological emotion and motivation theories are used. The derived control architecture is implemented using a behavior-based approach, in order to realize a modular extensible system design. The developed architecture is tested on the humanoid robot ROMAN.
Keywords: Angepasstheit der Maschine an Nutzerbedürfnisse, Design, emotion, Emotionserkennung, expressive function, Favoriten, Five functions of emotion model, functions of emotion, Ingenieurswissenschaft, Interaktionspartner, Mensch oder Maschine, Mensch-Technik-Relationen (MTR), motivational function, parameterability, perceptibility, rating function, Realtechnik, regulative function, scalability, selective function, Serviceroboter, Soziale Robotik, Technik -
(2011): Towards an Effective Design of Social Robots. In: International Journal of Social Robotics 3 (4), S. 333-335. DOI: 10.1007/s12369-011-0121-z
Abstract: In the past decade, we have witnessed an intensive progress of technology spurred on by community initiatives. The guest editors had its first meeting in 2010 to find that it was timely for the community to collectively document the recent advances in social robotics through a special issue in the International Journal of Social Robotics. This special issue presents various designs for social robots in order to make them more effective and natural for human-robot interactions. Social robots are autonomous robots that are able to interact and communicate among themselves, with humans, and with the environment and are designed to operate according to the established social and cultural norms. The main requirement for such robots is intelligence, which forms the basis of human-robot interaction. Many design requirements should be considered for social robots. Among these are the abilities to: 1. recognize the presence of a human through its senses such as vision, touch and sound; 2. engage in physical acknowledgment such as holding or touching; 3. use physical motions and gestures; 4. express and/or perceive emotions and 5. engage in a conversation. This special issue addresses various challenges in the design of social robots, which can be used in a variety of applications, such as research platforms, toys and games, educational tools, and therapeutic aids.
Keywords: Ausdrücken und Erkennen von Emotion, Design, Disziplin, Emotionserkennung, Fähigkeit zu physischer Rückmeldung (Berührung etc.), Fähigkeit, eine Konversation zu führen, Fähigkeit, menschliche Anwesenheit zu erkennen, Gestische und mobile Fähigkeiten, Ingenieurswissenschaft, Intelligenz, Interaktionspartner, Mensch oder Maschine, Mensch-Technik-Relationen (MTR), Realtechnik, Sozial Intelligente Agenten, Soziale Robotik, Technik -
(2011): The ghosts in the computer. The role of agency and animacy attributions in "ghost controls". In: PLoS one 6 (11). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0026429
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22073165 Abstract: Three studies evaluated the role of 4-year-old children's agency- and animacy-attributions when learning from a computerized ghost control (GC). In GCs, participants observe events occurring without an apparent agent, as if executed by a "ghost" or unobserved causal forces. Using a touch-screen, children in Experiment 1 responded to three pictures in a specific order under three learning conditions: (i) trial-and-error (Baseline), (ii) imitation and (iii) Ghost Control. Before testing in the GC, children were read one of three scripts that determined agency attributions. Post-test assessments confirmed that all children attributed agency to the computer and learned in all GCs. In Experiment 2, children were not trained on the computer prior to testing, and no scripts were used. Three different GCs, varying in number of agency cues, were used. Children failed to learn in these GCs, yet attributed agency and animacy to the computer. Experiment 3 evaluated whether children could learn from a human model in the absence of training under conditions where the information presented by the model and the computer was either consistent or inconsistent. Children evidenced learning in both of these conditions. Overall, learning in social conditions (Exp. 3) was significantly better than learning in GCs (Exp. 2). These results, together with other published research, suggest that children privilege social over non-social sources of information and are generally more adept at learning novel tasks from a human than from a computer or GC.
2010
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(2010): Natural interaction with a virtual guide in a virtual environment. In: Journal on Multimodal User Interfaces 3 (1-2), S. 141-153. DOI: 10.1007/s12193-009-0024-6
Abstract: This paper describes the Virtual Guide, a multimodal dialogue system represented by an embodied conversational agent that can help users to find their way in a virtual environment, while adapting its affective linguistic style to that of the user. We discuss the modular architecture of the system, and describe the entire loop from multimodal input analysis to multimodal output generation. We also describe how the Virtual Guide detects the level of politeness of the user's utterances in real-time during the dialogue and aligns its own language to that of the user, using different politeness strategies. Finally we report on our first user tests, and discuss some potential extensions to improve the system.
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(2010): Robots in Society, Society in Robots. In: International Journal of Social Robotics 2 (4), S. 439-450. DOI: 10.1007/s12369-010-0066-7
Abstract: This paper analyzes scientists' discourses on the social impacts and acceptability of robotics, based on data collected through participant observation and interviews with robotics researchers in the US and Japan. It shows that a linear, technologically determinist, view of the interaction between robots and society is dominant in the field; in this narrative the social impact of robotic technologies derives mostly from their technological capabilities and the aim is for society to accept and adapt to technological innovations. The framework of mutual shaping and co-production, which explores the dynamic interaction between robotics and society, is proposed as an alternative perspective on the dynamics between society and technology and a framework for envisioning and evaluating social robots. This approach focuses on analyzing how social and cultural factors influence the way technologies are designed, used, and evaluated as well as how technologies affect our construction of social values and meanings. Finally, the paper describes a range of methodologies of contextually grounded and participatory design that fit the mutual shaping framework and support a socially robust understanding of technological development that enables the participation of multiple stakeholders and disciplines.
Keywords: Design, Favoriten, Framework for envisioning and evaluating social robots, Framework of mutual shaping and co-production between robotics and society, Im (wissenschaftlichen) Diskurs, Interaktionspartner, Mensch oder Maschine, Mensch-Technik-Relationen (MTR), Reflexionen über MTR, Technikakzeptanzforschung, Technische Fähigkeiten/technische Kompetenz einer Maschine