Robot Inner Perception Capability Through a Soft Somatosensory System

Abstract

The capability of a robot being aware of its internal status is a step forward to the enhancement of human–robot interaction. The possibility of feeling either pleasant or unpleasant sensations is at the basis of the motivation level of a robot. It can modulate the “willingness” of accomplishing a given task. Negative sensations can represent an alarm indicating dangerous situations, while the feeling of a reassuring environment or a well-being sensation can be a stimulus in pursuing the task, even in the presence of a painful perception. In this paper, we illustrate a bio-inspired somatosensory system embedded in a cognitive model for a humanoid robot. The system is based on a set of soft sensors that have been designed in order to make it possible for the interpretation of the robot physical sensations through a proper classification of the perceived somatosensory signals. This interpretation triggers and modulates the motivation level of the robot as well as its behavior.