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"The robot starts off in a rather helpless and primitive condition and requires the help of a sophisticated and benevolent caretaker to learn and develop," said an MIT spokesperson.
The robot, known as Kismet, is an artificial head that can interact with humans in a human-like way through various facial expressions, head positions and voice tones, according to MIT.
"The goal is to build a socially intelligent machine that learns things as we learn them, through social interaction," said Dr. Cynthia Breazeal, a post-doctorate associate at MIT's Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, and leader of the Kismet team.
"I'm building a robot that can leverage off the social structure that people already use to help each other learn," said Dr. Breazeal. "If we can build a robot that can tap into that system, we might not have to program in every piece of its behaviour."
Kismet is run by 15 computers which process software programs that enable the robot to perceive its environment, analyse what it finds and react, according to MIT.
The robot's physical features include large blue eyes, lips, ears and eyebrows, all modelled on human features known to elicit a care-giving responses from adults.
The eyes are sensors that allow the robot to obtain information from its environment. The robot can then respond and communicate interest, sadness, calmness, happiness, disgust, anger or surprise.
Kismet is intended to interact with humans in an intuitive and natural way, such as by backing away from an object placed too closely for its cameras to see properly, said Dr. Breazeal.
So far, people who have met Kismet have described the robot as having a real presence, she said.
"It seems to really impact them on an emotional level, to the point where they tell me that when I turn it off, it's really jarring," she said. "That's powerful. It means that I've really captured something in this robot that's special. That kind of reaction is also critical to the robot's design and purpose."
The work being carried out on Kismet raises a number of other broader questions, according to MIT. These include self-identity, theory of the mind, autobiographical memory, recognition of one's self and other people, social learning, intentionality, emotion, empathy, personality, friendship and ethics.
The Kismet team is comprised of graduate students in MIT's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, reporting to Professor Brooks, director of MIT's Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.
"I think people are often afraid of that technology is making us less human," said Dr. Breazeal. "Kismet is a counterpoint to that - it really celebrates our humanity. This is a robot that thrives on social interactions."
More information on the project is available at More information is at http://www.ai.mit.edu/projects/humanoid-robotics-group/kismet/kismet.html
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