This Child Robot Mimics Human Expressions…and It’s a Little Creepy (Video)

© mohamed abdelghaffar/Pexels

Creating robots ever closer to the ;human, this is one of the goals of modern robotics. Some bipedal robots (like Atlas, from Boston Dynamics) or quadrupeds (the little Spot, from the same company) master locomotion with remarkable agility, they do not strictly speaking have a face. Engineered Arts created the humanoid robot Ameca in 2021, but its facial expressions and gestures remain disturbing.

And for good reason, robotics is coming up against the famous ” valley of the uncanny ” when it comes to recreating human faces. A term popularized by Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori in the 1970s that describes a specific phenomenon: the more a humanoid robot resembles a human, the more likely we are to feel a sense of unease, or even repulsion, when its imperfections become apparent. A team of Japanese researchers is now proposing a new approach to overcome this obstacle, detailed and published on December 20 in the journal Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics. But, as you will see, it is not yet won.

Waves and emotions: the magic formula for more expressive robots

The innovation developed at Osaka University is based on a fundamental principle: considering facial expressions no longer as pre-programmed sequences, but as an interweaving of dynamic waves. This method, called “dynamic arousal expression” (which could be painfully translated as “dynamic arousal expression” or “dynamic arousal expression”), is a method that allows for the development of a more dynamic and dynamic arousal system.dynamic excitement expression system ») marks a departure from conventional techniques aimed at making a robot's face more natural.

The researchers broke down each facial manifestation—from yawning to blinking to breathing—into individual waves. These elementary components are then associated with precise physical parameters: the opening of the lips, the movement of the eyebrows, the tilt of the head. The originality of this technique lies in the use of a continuous emotional spectrum, ranging from “sleepy” to “ excited“, which modulates the amplitude of these waves.

Osaka University's system synchronizes a robot's facial movements with dynamic waves to create expressions natural in real time. © Hisashi Ishihara

A complex synthesis of facial movements

Consider the example of a state of drowsiness: rather than simply activating a “ sleepy expression“, the system generates several simultaneous waves. A first wave controls the breathing rate, which becomes slower and deeper. A second modulates the opening of the eyelids, creating longer and more frequent blinks. A third influences the position of the head, which tilts slightly. These different waves combine and influence each other, creating a natural and evolving expression.

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This mathematical approach, inspired by wave physics, allows the robot to navigate smoothly between different emotional states. If the android goes from drowsiness to excitement, the waves do not change abruptly, but gradually transform.

By considering facial expressions as dynamic phenomena rather than static sequences, the result, as you can see in the video below, is generally successful. However, it’s far from perfect, but we'll come back to that later.

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As Koichi Osuka, lead author of the study, explains: “This advance in the synthesis of dynamic facial expressions paves the way for robots capable of complex facial movements, displaying more vivid expressions and mood changes in response to their environment“. The results demonstrate near-instantaneous system responsiveness, freeing programmers from having to individually choreograph each emotional state.

The End of the Uncanny Valley?

However, let's not kid ourselves, this baby robot is still a bit disturbing to watch. While facial movements become more natural and fluid, some elements persist in reminding us of the artificiality of the whole. Rigid movements that are still too mechanical, strange transitions between sequences of expression, and above all an abysmally empty gaze. The eyes, in particular, with their sometimes erratic movements and their synthetic appearance, keep this robot firmly in the valley of the uncanny.

The wave-like approach to facial expressions nevertheless represents a notable advance compared to traditional preprogrammed reactions. Modeling emotions as a continuous spectrum of interacting waves will provide a promising theoretical and technical basis for future, more successful robots.

Why is a robot's expressiveness so important?? Because an android's ability to display emotional states in a fluid and natural way is a key element for its social acceptance. If we were to one day move towards a society where humanoid robots are part of the landscape, this factor is essential. Another path is also possible: staying away from any attempt to imitate the human face. We could have robots that could communicate their emotional states through other means, such as color changes, sounds, or movements.

• Osaka University researchers have designed a robot whose facial expressions use dynamic waves to simulate emotions.
• This robot, despite notable progress in fluidity and expressiveness, remains disruptive because of certain artificial elements such as the eyes.
• Robotic expressiveness is essential for social acceptance, although non-human alternatives, such as light or sound signals, remain possible.

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