The robot called Forpheus does more than play a mean game of table tennis. It can read body language to gauge its opponent's ability, and offer advice and encouragement.

"It will try to understand your mood and your playing ability and predict a bit about your next shot," said Keith Kersten of Japan-based Omron Automation, which developed Forpheus to showcase its technology.

"We don't sell ping pong robots but we are using Forpheus to show how technology works with people," said Kersten.

Forpheus is among several devices shown at this week's Consumer Electronics Show which highlight how robots can become more humanlike by acquiring "emotional intelligence" and empathy.

Although this specialization is still emerging, the notion of robotic empathy appeared to be a strong theme at the huge gathering of technology professionals in Las Vegas.

Honda, the Japanese auto giant, launched a new robotics program called Empower, Experience, Empathy including its new 3E-A18 robot which "shows compassion to humans with a variety of facial expressions," according to a statement.

Although empathy and emotional intelligence do not necessarily require a humanoid form, some robot makers have been working on form as well as function.

"We're been working very hard to have an emotional robot," said Jean-Michel Mourier of French-based Blue Frog Robotics, which makes the companion and social robot called Buddy, set to be released later this year.

"He has a complex brain," Mourier said at a CES event. "It will ask for a caress or it will get mad if you poke him in the eye."

Other robots such as Qihan Technology's Sanbot and SoftBank Robotics' Pepper, are being "humanized" by teaching them to read and react to people's emotional states.

Pepper is "capable of interpreting a smile, a frown, your tone of voice, as well as the lexical field you use and non-verbal language such as the angle of your head," according to SoftBank.

- Robot in human shoes -

Developing emotional intelligence in robots is a difficult task, melding the use of computer "vision" to interpret objects and people and creating software that can respond accordingly.

"Empathy is the goal: the robot is putting itself in the shoes of the human, and that's about as hard as it gets," said Patrick Moorhead, a technology analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy.

"It's not just about technology, it's about psychology and trust."

Moorhead said this technology is still in the early stages but holds promise in some areas, noting that there is strong interest in Japan amid a lack of caretakers for the elderly population.

"In some ways it can be a bit creepy if you're crying and the robot is trying to console you," he said.

"If you have no friends, the next best thing is a friend robot, and introverts might feel more comfortable talking to a robot."

- 'Emotion chip' -

One CES exhibitor offered a promise of going further than the current devices by developing an "emotion chip" which can allow robots to process emotions in a manner similar to humans.

"There has been a lot of research on detecting human emotions. We do the opposite. We synthesize emotions for the machine," said Patrick Levy-Rosenthal, founder of New York-based Emoshape, which is producing its chip for partners in gaming, virtual and augmented reality and other sectors.

It could be used to power a humanoid robot, or other devices. For example, an e-reader could better understand a text to infuse more emotion in storytelling.

As for Forpheus, Kersten said the robot's ability to help people improve their table tennis skills could have numerous applications for sports, businesses and more.

"You could sense how people are feeling, if they are attentive or in a good state to drive," he said.

Another key application could be in health care, he said: "In an elderly patient facility, you can determine if someone is in distress and needs help."

Travis the translator aims to make people understood
Las Vegas (AFP) Jan 10, 2018 - Netherlands-based startup Travis is out to make people understood no matter what language they speak.

Travis was at the Consumer Electronics Show here late Tuesday with a small device capable of translating conversations between people speaking different languages in real time.

"Technology connects us as far as we are accessible to each other, but those true connections aren't going to happen until we all understand and are understood by each other," US Travis representative Robb Selander told AFP while demonstrating the gizmo at a CES event.

"We are driven to break down language barriers."

Travis synchs to computing in the cloud to translate any combination of 80 languages, and a Travis foundation is working to 'digitize' lesser known languages in the world.

"Once a language is digitized it can not only be used in translation technology like Travis but for education and preservation," said company international affairs manager Elissa Glorie.

Digitizing languages also means that those who speak it could get better shots at reaping benefits of technology advances such as voice-commanded computers or virtual assistants, according to Glorie.

Travis was founded early last year and launched an Indiegogo crowd-funding campaign in April that blew past the company's goal.

More than 80,000 Travis translation devices priced at $199 were pre-ordered, and most have been delivered, according to Selander.

Google late last year hit the market with Pixel ear buds capable of real-time translation of conversations in 40 languages.

Pixel Buds infused with its digital assistant smarts were quickly branded an internet-Age version of the alien "Babel Fish" depicted in famed science fiction work "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

In the literature, inserting a Babel Fish in an ear enabled a person to understand anything spoken in any language.

Pixel Buds work wirelessly with second-generation Pixel smartphones to handle real-time translations.

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Virtual aide market a "wildfire" at CES gadget show
Las Vegas (AFP) Jan 8, 2018
Voice-commanded virtual assistants packed into speakers and other devices will be a "game-changing" trend this year, Consumer Electronics Show researchers said Sunday. Sales of smart speakers are expected to nearly double in the US, to $3.8 billion, from last year according to Lesley Rohrbaugh and Steve Koenig, researchers with the Consumer Technology Association, which organizes the annual ... read more

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