A Hug Behavior Generation Model Based on Analyses of Human Behaviors for Hug Robot System

Abstract

In human face-to-face communication, embodied sharing using the synchrony of embodied rhythms is promoted by embodied interactions. In particular, embodied interactions with direct contact are considered to synchronize embodied rhythms effectively. Hug behavior is one of the types of embodied interactions that involve direct contact. In hug behaviors, humans whole-body contact with each other. In the case of interaction between a human and a robot, the robot synchronizes embodied rhythms effectively using hug behaviors. Thus, a behavior model that can generate a hug behavior with humans is required for robots. Therefore, in this paper, we analyzed hug behaviors between humans and proposed a hug behavior generation model for a hug robot system based in the results of the analysis. This model generates a hug behavior in response to human behavior when a human requests a hug from the robot. Next, we developed a hug robot system that uses the proposed hug behavior generation model. Using the robot system, we demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed hug behavior generation model by means of a sensory evaluation.