Research Article
Research on Associative Memory Models of Emotional Robots
Wang Yi, Wang Zhi-liang, and Wang Wei
School of Automation and Electrical Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
Correspondence should be addressed to Wang Yi; bkcool@.com
Received October ; Revised December ; Accepted December ; Published February
Academic Editor: Quan Quan
Copyright © Wang Yi et al. is is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which
permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Associative memory is essential to realize man-machine cooperation in the natural interaction between humans and robots.
e establishment of associative memory model is to solve the problem. First, based on the theory of emotional energy, mood
spontaneous metastasis model and stimulate metastasis model are put forward. en we can achieve aective computing on the
external excitation combining with Markov chain model which is about emotions of spontaneous metastasis and HMM model
which is about stimulating metastasis. Second, based on the neural network, the associative memory model which is applied in
emotional robots is put forward by calculating the emotional state of the robot’s dynamic change of mind and considering their
own needs at the same time. Finally, the model was applied to the emotional robot platform which we developed. e eect is
validated better.
1. Introduction
e robots are becoming more and more important in our
daily life. Besides completing their obligatory task, they are
supposed to have other more characteristics such as emotion,
personality, and social skills. e robot is able to adapt to
the environment and participate in the natural interaction
of human. e need of study on anthropomorphic emotions,
behavior, and individuation is imperative.
Japanese and American universities and institutes carried
out earlier research of the emotional robot, more concen-
trated in Waseda University and the Massachusetts Insti-
tute of Technology and developed rapidly [, ]. Recently,
Germany and the UK have started research [, ]. e
research on emotional humanoid robot appeared in China
since []. One of the most advanced robots in China
is “one hundred-Star” preschool robot developed by Harbin
Institute of Technology which could show certain expressions
[]. In addition, the head of the “tong tong” robot born in
developed by the Institute of Automation of Chinese
Academy of Science [] and the emotional robot which is
designed by the University of Science and Technology Beijing
can talk to people and generate expression []. e WE series
expression robots of Waseca University, from the early WE-
with the function of head-eye coordinated movement, which
is only under the guidance of the vestibular eye reex theory,
developedintoWE-Rwithamodelofmentalstate,which
can use eyebrows, lips, jaw, and face as well as sound to
coordinate expressed emotion and other more functions. And
theprogressisobvious.esameistrueinHarbinInstitute
of Technology [–] and the Beijing University of Science
and Technology [, , ] of China. An entertainment robot
QRIO developed by Sony Corporation can make use of
the visual information oered by the CCD camera installed
ontheheadtocontrolitsmovementandnishwalking
function. It achieves its behavior and movement choices
through EGO Module [, ]. Besides, lots of emotional
computing theories and technologies are put into use in
man-machine interaction to improve the experience of man-
machine interaction [–].
Most of the researches of the emotional robot nish their
response based on a series of identifying information. But the
person’s response to the outside world is based on their own
mental state and memory. As a result, we put forward a model
of associative memory applied in emotional robot to get the
most memory and apply it to the emotional robot platform
developed by us according to the external stimulus.
e sections are organized as follows. Section gives a
brief introduction on the emotional robot platform devel-
oped by us. Section is mainly about putting forward the
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Advances in Mechanical Engineering
Volume 2014, Article ID 208153, 9 pages
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/208153