Giving the robots "tells" - Robot body language gives humans a clue

New Scientist - March 22, 2009, by Colin Barras

Video: Robots are easier to get along with when their eyes signal their intentions.



Despite becoming increasingly lifelike in appearanceMovie Camera, robots still have terrible body language.

But Bilge Mutlu and colleague's team at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, is changing that with robots that "leak" non-verbal information through eye movements when interacting with humans. The eyes of a robot may not provide a window into its soul, but they can help humans guess the machine's intentions.

Humans constantly give off non-verbal cues and interpret the signals of others – but without realising it at a conscious level, says Mutlu. The trembling hands of a public speaker betray their nerves even before a word is uttered, while poker players leak subtle signs such as eye flickers or twitches that can be used to spot bluffers.

But when faced with a robot all our interpretive skills are irrelevant. Robots leak no information, so it is virtually impossible to read their intentions, which makes them hard to get along with.

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