Emotional computing
Emotional computingKeywords:Internet, CyberneticsAbstractA number of approaches to taking emotion into account in computing and robotics are discussed, including the construction of robotic pets. An automatic mailing list for information on software engineering is introduced, as well as a plan for a supercomputer to be applied to analysis of protein folding. A facility for remote access to e-mail is introduced and compared to an alternative mentioned earlier, particularly in the context of downloading large TIF files. The now-historical Y2K problem is reviewed, as are two search facilities and a valuable news source in Russia. A facility is described that allows Internet access, not only free of charge but at a small financial profit. Mentioned in a previous Commentary as available in USA, it has now been extended to Britain and other countries. It has features reminiscent of the worries about consumer exploitation expressed by Stafford Beer and others, though in this case they are essentially benign because made explicit.
That computers and robots may be designed to interact with the emotions of their users is acknowledged in a number of recent publications. One possibility that has been seriously considered is robotic pets, as reviewed by Rudall(1999). They undoubtedly have advantages compared to living pets, epitomised (in an advertisement for an electronic device to deter intruders by simulating the barking of a dog) as: "no mess, no walkies, no vet's bills". It is generally accepted that pets have a good effect on the mental and physical wellbeing of their owners, particularly those who are elderly, and robotic pets seem worth considering.
A project to build a robotic cat is discussed at the site: http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/groups/mrg/cat/cat.html,though the emphasis is rather less on the lovable nature of the cat than on its survival capability. The general idea is to use Lego components, but it is interesting to note that there is concern about the long-term operation of the motors and mechanical parts. This indicates an important difference between living and non-living structures, since the latter usually lack the self-repair features that facilitate the longevity of living systems. The lovable (or, for the cynic, exploitative) aspect of the cat's nature is considered in the discussion, but mainly as an aid to survival.
There is also a sense in which the various "personal robots" that have been devised have a pet-like character, and it is interesting that Nehmzow(2000) acknowledges that the main application areas for the highly adaptive mobile robots he describes may be, for some time, in intelligent toys.
