Kismet - The Social Robot
      Kismet communicates without words or sounds (see a sample quicktime video at www.ai.mit.edu/projects/ sociable/movies/expression-examples.mov). You can tell if Kismet is happy or sad, angry or calm, interested or discussed all through the use of facial expression, body posture, gesture, gaze direction, and voice. In the past, robots were cold and mechanical, their activities programmed in advance. These robotic devices interfaced with other equally cold and mechanical devices such as auto parts, assembly lines and explosives. However, potential application in new domains such as health care and personal assistance are creating an interest in robots that interact and cooperate with people – even those without a technical background. The goal is to build a socially intelligent machine that learns in a manner similar to humans — through social interactions. The Kismet home page has links to an enourmas amount of information and numerous videos on Kismet including technical details of its design and theory behinds its behaviour. Links to other related web sites and solid technical articles are also available. See PC AI 15.6 for a more indepth article on Kismet.

http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/nr/2001/kismet.html

www.ai.mit.edu/projects/humanoid-robotics-group/ kismet/kismet.html

www.ai.mit.edu/projects/sociable/videos.html

www-caes.mit.edu/mvp/html/kismet.html

Experimental Robots May Aide Bedsides
      A care center in California is testing out a robot, called the Companion, made by InTouch Health Inc. that offers real-time, one-on-one communication between doctors and patients, health care management and staff or between patients and their families. Fitted with a camera, it films the patient while a TV screen in the Robot’s head displays the caregiver’s face.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=
570&ncid=753&e=9&u=/n m/20030306/sc_nm/
health_robot_dc

www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_747030.html

The MIT Robot Pike Project
      John Kumph, at the MIT Towing Tank, is attempting to understand the complex fluid mechanics behind fish movement by building a robotic fish. This type of motion could lead to one of the most efficient means of propulsion in moving small autonomous vehicles. This site has pictures, technical descriptions as well QuickTime demos.
http://web.mit.edu/towtank/www/pike