Robots, Our New Friends Electric?
Guardian Unlimited (UK) (04/14/08) Jha, Alok

Engineers, psychologists and computer scientists from across Europe this week will launch Lirec, a European Union-backed project that aims to develop the first robot personalities. "What we're looking at here is long-term interactions between people and robots in real situations," says Lirec coordinator Peter McOwan of Queen Mary, University of London. "The big question is: What sort of properties does a synthetic companion need to have so that you feel you want to engage in a relationship with it over an extended period of time?" Lirec (Living with Robots and Interactive Companions) is a collaborative project between 10 university partners from seven countries that will run for just over four years. In the future, McOwan imagines robots that help around the house and act as companions, capable of tasks such as ordering groceries online. Robotic personalities could also be used to assist the elderly. A concept called "spirit of the house" would use an artificial intelli gence with personality to make sure elderly residents have not fallen or forgotten to take their pills. University of Hertfordshire artificial intelligence professor Kerstin Dautenhahn has developed a robot in the shape of a two-year-old boy capable of making facial expressions and playing simple games. Dautenhahn created a study in which a home-help robot interacts with volunteers so researchers can study how people make longer-term relationships with machines. The study has found that the look of the robot should depend on the person with whom it mostly interacts, with extroverts preferring humanoid robots and introverts preferring more mechanical robots.
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