WP1 – Concepts and models
- information-theoretic analyses of the relation between the robot’s visual input and its overall fitness, yielding relevant image regions with high predictive power for aversive events like, e.g. a collision.
- development of the empowerment formalism to deal with longer temporal horizons and the coupled interaction of several agents; evaluation in different, simulated scenarios
- exploring information-theoretic measures for analyzing the coupling in multi-agent systems; applying these measures for the evaluation of neurophysiological human data; identifying the level of entrainment in multi-agent systems
- work on reactive control loops from which social interactions and entrainment processes during coordination of joint action may build: turn taking, feedback control layer, reactive control of REEM-C robot for postural and walking behaviors
- relating socSMC concept to Distributed Adaptive Control theory
WP2 – Grounding social cognition in proximal socSMCs
- configuration of the PR2 robot to control both 7-DOF arms in position, velocity and torque modes; software development to track basic objects using stereo cameras and Kinect;
- EEG and eye tracker integration
- pilot study of the labyrinth game paradigm recording EEG, EMG, ECG and GSR; analysis of collaborative learning by mutual information between EMG signals; evaluating the degree to which learned action models generalize to previously unknown, but equally trained, partners
- development of an HRI scenario of stabilizing the position of a ball on a jointly held plank
- deep-learning networks for feature learning from raw images and audition generated by the sonification system from LUH
WP3 – Grounding social cognition in distal socSMCs
- integration of 2 force/torque sensors in REEM-C’s arms
- preparing a set of tools for tracking agents in real time in the eXperience Induction Machine
- development of a software stack for basic robot operation: self-balancing, self-collision detection and stabilization; studies of emergence of turn-taking behaviors
- development of an interest point motion analysis method for learning sensorimotor mappings from action exploration/exploitation process and observation of camera input
- development of an HRI scenario where the robot learns to control hand movements from human imprecise feedback.
- studies of attentional bottleneck and how to avoid it by distributing information processing across several sensory modalities
WP4 – socSMCs in disturbed social cognition
- adaptation of the labyrinth game for recordings in ASD patients in the MEG
- development of a virtual, distal version of the labyrinth game that prompts 2 players to develop strategies for coordination
- implementation of the pong scenario
- analysis of motion-flow data using mutual information
WP5 – Applications and demonstrators
- conceptual discussion on appropriate measures to reflect participant experience
- first version of the demonstrator in which a single person moves the whole robot through proximal interaction by guiding the hand of the robot with a handshake
- simulation of the robot remover scenario
- development of the computational basis for the for the selfie demonstrator
- application development for quick acquisition of eye-tracking-like data from participants online
WP6 – Dissemination and exploitation
- setup of the project's web presence
- publication output monitoring
- communication with several other consortia
- autumn school “The sensorimotor foundations of social cognition”
- publication of project output in high-ranked journals; risk monitoring
- planning exploitation of the results for PAL's lines of service robots
