Toward Natural Human-Robot Interaction: Exploring Facial Expression Synthesis on an Android Robot

Robots are entering domestic environments in increasing number. However, the present means for interacting with them is quite limited and difficult for people who are not technically inclined or able-bodied. Thus, many in the field of robotics are moving toward natural human robot interaction, which means allowing people the ability to communicate with robots in ways similar to how they communicate with other people, i.e., via verbal and nonverbal channels. My work focuses on a part of this problem: how to accurately model and synthesize natural human facial expressions on a realistic, human-like robot head. The main goal of this research is to see if by providing such expressions on a robot lead to people feeling more at ease while interacting with it, and thus be more likely to accept such technology in domestic settings.