Emotion transmission system using a cellular phone-type teleoperated robot with a mobile projector

Abstract

We propose an emotion transmission system using a cellular phone-type teleoperated robot with a mobile projector. Elfoid has a soft exterior that provides the look and feel of human skin and is designed to transmit a speaker's presence to their communication partner using a camera and microphone. To transmit the speaker's presence, Elfoid transmits not only the voice of the speaker but also their facial expression as captured by the camera. In this research, facial expressions are recognized by a machine learning technique. Elfoid cannot, however, physically display facial expressions because of its compactness and a lack of sufficiently small actuator motors. The recognized facial expressions are displayed using a mobile projector installed in Elfoid's head to convey emotions. We build a prototype system and experimentally evaluate its subjective usability. © 2014 Springer International Publishing.