Apparatus and method for synthesizing emotions based on the human nervous system

• US 7,333,969 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2002
• Issued: 02/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Hyoung-ki, Lee, Mi-hee, Bang, Seok-won
• Primary Examiner(s): Knight; Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): KENNEDY, ADRIAN L
• Application Number:
  US10/265,259
• Publication Number:
  US 20030067486A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,961 Days
• Field of Search: 706/1, 706/8, 706/15, 706/16, 706/23, 706/52, 706/44
• US Class Current: 706/52
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/004 Artificial life, i.e. computing arrangements simulating life

Abstract

Disclosed is a nervous system-based emotion synthesizing apparatus which enables an emotion of a humanoid to be synthesized in a manner similar to that of a human using a nervous system-adjusting mechanism of a human body according to emotions. The human nervous system-based emotion synthesizing apparatus, includes a stimulus sensor portion having at least a stimulus sensor for sensing an external stimulus, an emotion generator for generating an predetermined emotion corresponding to the sensed external stimulus, a physiological signal generator for generating at least one artificial physiological signal in response to the sensed stimulus and the generated emotion, and an emotional behavior generator for generating at least one emotional behavior through a predetermined physical reaction in response to the sensed stimulus and the generated emotion, whereby the generated artificial physiological signal is fed back to the emotion generator and the emotional behavior generator, and the generated emotional behavior is fed back to the emotion generator and the physiological signal generator so that the emotion, the artificial physiological signal and the emotional behavior are combined to produce and express a complex emotion.

Claims

1. A human nervous system-based emotion synthesizing apparatus for a humanoid, comprising:

at least one stimulus sensor that senses an external stimulus;

an emotion generator that generates a predetermined simulated emotion corresponding to the sensed external stimulus;

a physiological signal generator that generates at least one artificial physiological signal that models a physiological response of the human body to the sensed stimulus and the generated simulated emotion, wherein the physiological response comprises a response of the autonomic nervous system of the human body, and the artificial physiological signal is generated by modeling concentrations of neurotransmitters affecting the autonomic nervous system of the human body; and

an emotional behavior generator that generates at least one simulated emotional behavior through a predetermined physical reaction in response to the sensed stimulus and the generated simulated emotion,

wherein the generated artificial physiological signal is fed back to the emotion generator and the emotional behavior generator, and the generated simulated emotional behavior is fed back to the emotion generator and the physiological signal generator so that the generated simulated emotion, the artificial physiological signal and the simulated emotional behavior are combined to produce a simulated complex emotion that is expressed by the humanoid.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the emotion generator comprises a fuzzy rule-based system that generates the predetermined simulated emotion from the sensed external stimulus applied thereto from the stimulus sensor, the simulated emotional behavior fed back thereto from the emotional behavior generator and the artificial physiological signal fed back thereto from the physiological signal generator according to a predefined rule.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the emotion generator further comprises a database that stores the predefined rule by which to generate the predetermined simulated emotion.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the physiological signal generator comprises:

an autonomic nervous system controller that models a concentration of a neurotransmitter affecting the human autonomic nervous system in response to the external stimulus applied thereto from the stimulus sensor portion, the predetermined simulated emotion generated from the emotion generator and the simulated emotional behavior fed back thereto from the emotional behavior generator; and

an artificial physiology modeling section that models the artificial physiological signal in response to the concentrations of the neurotransmitters modeled by the autonomic nervous system controller.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the autonomic nervous system controller models concentrations of norepinephrine (NE) and acetycholine (Ach) as the neurotransmitters affecting the human autonomic nervous system based on the Warner model.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the artificial physiology modeling section generates the artificial physiological signal in proportion to an effect on the human autonomic nervous system corresponding to the concentrations of the neurotransmitters based on the Integral Pulse Frequency Modulation (IPFM) model.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the artificial physiological signal comprises signals associated with electroencephalogram (EEG), electrooculogram (EOG), electromyogram (EMG), electrocardiogram (ECG), electrodermal activity (EDA), skin temperature (SKT), and respirations (Resp).

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the artificial physiology modeling section models outputs from an artificial electroencephalograph, an artificial heart, an artificial respirator and an artificial body temperature adjustor to generate the artificial physiological signal.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the emotional behavior generator comprises:

a motion controller that generates a control signal to control the simulated emotional behavior in response to the external stimulus applied thereto from the stimulus sensor, the predetermined simulated emotion generated from the emotion generator and the artificial physiological signal fed back thereto from the physiological signal generator; and

a motor that generates the simulated emotional behavior through a predetermined physical reaction in response to the control signal from the motion controller.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the motion controller comprises a fuzzy rule-based system that determines the simulated emotional behavior which corresponds to the sensed external stimulus applied thereto from the stimulus sensor, the predetermined simulated emotion generated from the emotion generator and the artificial physiological signal fed back thereto from the physiological signal generator according to a predefined rule.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the motion controller further comprises a database that stores the predefined rule by which to determine the simulated emotional behavior.

12. A human nervous system-based emotion synthesizing method for a humanoid, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving and sensing an external stimulus;

(b) generating a predetermined simulated emotion corresponding to the sensed external stimulus;

(c) generating an artificial physiological signal that models a physiological response of the human body corresponding to the predetermined simulated emotion, and generating a simulated emotional behavior corresponding to the predetermined simulated emotion, respectively, wherein the physiological response comprises a response of the autonomic nervous system of the human body, and the artificial physiological signal is generated by modeling concentrations of neurotransmitters affecting the autonomic nervous system of the human body;

(d) providing the generated artificial physiological signal and the generated simulated emotional behavior to the steps (b) and (c);

(e) repeatedly performing the steps (b) and (c) in response to the generated predetermined simulated emotion, the artificial physiological signal and the simulated emotional behavior and then combining the generated predetermined emotion, the physiological signal and the emotional behavior together to generate a simulated complex emotion; and

(f) expressing the generated simulated complex emotion as an appropriate simulated emotional behavior.