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. 2006;20(10):1147-1163.
doi: 10.1163/156855306778522505.

Evaluating the human likeness of an android by comparing gaze behaviors elicited by the android and a person

Takashi Minato  1 , Michihiro Shimada, Shoji Itakura, Kang Lee, Hiroshi Ishiguro
Affiliations

Evaluating the human likeness of an android by comparing gaze behaviors elicited by the android and a person

Takashi Minato et al. Adv Robot. 2006.

Abstract

Our research goal is to discover the principles underlying natural communication among individuals and to establish a methodology for the development of expressive humanoid robots. For this purpose we have developed androids that closely resemble human beings. The androids enable us to investigate a number of phenomena related to human interaction that could not otherwise be investigated with mechanical-looking robots. This is because more human-like devices are in a better position to elicit the kinds of responses that people direct toward each other. Moreover, we cannot ignore the role of appearance in giving us a subjective impression of human presence or intelligence. However, this impression is influenced by behavior and the complex relationship between appearance and behavior. This paper proposes a hypothesis about how appearance and behavior are related, and maps out a plan for android research to investigate this hypothesis. We then examine a study that evaluates the human likeness of androids according to the gaze behavior they elicit. Studies such as these, which integrate the development of androids with the investigation of human behavior, constitute a new research area that fuses engineering and science.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The uncanny valley [9, 10].
Figure 2
Figure 2
The extended uncanny valley and a map for its investigation.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The developed android Repliee R1.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The developed androids Repliee Q1 (a) and Repliee Q2 (b). The details of the internal mechanism are blurred.
Figure 5
Figure 5
The experimental scene and the eight averted gaze directions.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Average percentage of duration of gaze in eight averted directions (Experiment 1).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Average percentage of duration of gaze in eight averted directions (Experiment 2).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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