Army researchers are working to develop autonomous machines capable of showing emotion. The concept, they believe, would foster greater trust among soldiers for the devices’ capabilities. The technology would be incorporated into the gamut of autonomous devices – including robots, self-driving cars, drones and personal assistants. Computer scientists with the Adelphi, Maryland-based U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command recently published their related findings in a scientific journal. Describing human cooperation as “paradoxical,” the author, Celso de Melo, noted that people like to operate individually. If they did not cooperate, however, little would be accomplished, said de Melo, who holds a doctorate in computer science.
De Melo and his colleagues are building systems with this in mind, which focus on fostering such cooperation among humans and machines.
“Practical application for the design of autonomous systems [suggests] that a proper combination of action and emotion displays can maximize cooperation of soldiers,” de Melo wrote. “This insight will be critical for the development of socially intelligent autonomous machines, capable of acting and communicating nonverbally with the soldier.”
