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Nexi robot helps Northeastern University track effects of shifty body language (video)
MIT's Nexi robot has been teaching us about social interaction for years, and has even done a stint with the US Navy. Its latest role, however, involved studying those moments when society falls apart. Northeastern University researchers made Nexi the key ingredient of an experiment where subjects were asked to play a Prisoner's Dilemma-style game immediately after a conversation, whether it was with a human or a machine. Nexi showed that humans are better judges of trustworthiness after they see the telltale body language of dishonesty -- crossed arms, leaning back and other cues -- even when those expressions come from a collection of metal and plastic. The study suggests not just that humans are tuned to watch for subtle hints of sketchy behavior, but that future humanoid robots could foster trust by using the right gestures. We'll look forward to the friendlier machine assistants that result... and keep in mind the room for deception when the robots invariably plot to take over the world.
MIT's Nexi bot wants to be your friend
MIT is really taking its robotics program to a whole new level with its "MDS" platform, which stands for Mobile, Dexterous and Social. The flagship bot so far is Nexi, who certainly fits the bill, albeit with an extra dab of creepy. The bot stands on a Segway-esque wheel base, has articulated arms and hands, and can convey a wide range of emotion with that pasty white face. Nexi has a computer on board to manage sensors and instinctual responses, while it offloads the heavy duty AI work to a stationary computer over the network. MIT's eventual goal is to have Nexi and others participate in Socially Situated Robot Learning -- observing and interacting with humans to figure out how best to integrate with them. Don't worry Nexi, we like you for you. Video is after the break.[Via fresh creation]
