Author: Cynthia Breazeal
Affiliation: MIT
Title: Sociable Robots
Keywords: human-robot interaction, socially interactive robots, human-robot teamwork, social learning
Issue Date: July 15, 2006

Bibliography: Cynthia Breazeal, "Sociable Robots", Journal of the Robotics Society of Japan, Vol. 24, No. 5, pp.591-593, 2006.

Abstract:
New commercial applications for personal robots are motivating research into building autonomous robots that benefit the daily lives of ordinary people. In dramatic contrast to the traditional view of robots as sophisticated tools that we use to do things for us, personal robots are envisioned as partners that collaborate to do things with us. The value such robots could provide people extends far beyond strict task performance utility and embraces new objectives for educational, health-related, therapeutic, and social goals. This article surveys my research efforts to build socially intelligent robots that possess social-cognitive skills to understand people as people, can collaborate with people as full-fledge partners, and can learn new skills, goals, and tasks from interactions with people. I believe that these foundational skills are necessary to usher in a new breed of socially assistive robots.

References:
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