Human-Machine Interaction and Cognitronics

Abstract

Robot applications currently being explored are in many cases characterised by greater levels of direct human robot interaction. Challenges for physical human-robot interaction comprise amongst others real-time monitoring of the interaction processes, the capability to infer motivations, predicting behaviour and reason about the environment in a closed-loop system that can initiate individualized interventions at the right time to improve interaction performance without sacrificing security. These systems require a dual design approach, which needs improved technical developments as well as integration of human aspects in human-machine interaction. This chapter focuses on embedded cognitive architectures based on nanoelectronics. Cognitronics deals with the systematic design of integrated circuits for the resource-efficient realisation of embedded cognitive systems. The aim is to equip technical products with cognitive abilities, so that besides increased functionality these become safer and more user-friendly.