Kismet (MIT)
Kismet has a big need for eye contact.
Playing with his pet monkey makes Kismet happy.
To much activity makes Kismet sleepy.
First robotic facial expressions. Usenet pics downloaded late 1999.
Kismet simulates emotion through various facial expressions, vocalizations, and movement.
Facial expressions are created through movements of the ears, eyebrows, eyelids, etc.
On the perceptual side, it's tracking objects, like humans, that it 'sees'.
Kismet is "sad" (faced) when understimulated or "neglected," and people usually
respond intuitively by making overtures. Which makes Kismet happy.
The vision according to reasearchers: Eventually sociable robots will be part
of all sorts of areas from education to entertainment and beyond.
So it makes sense to learn something about them now,
as they are being developed rather than
wait for one to appear behind the customer-service counter
in your local super market.