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A
Model for
One of the ways I'd like to give Albert unpredictable behaviors is
through the implementation of environment driven moods that affect what he says and how he
acts. To this end I've developed a very simple 2 dimensional array (x,y) I call a
Mood Matrix. 'X' values in the array correspond to Albert's general
"mood", 'Y' values represent his "comfort". These
values will increment and decrement based on sensor input. For example, being in a
dark room for an extended period of time will cause Albert's Comfort to decrement.
(Which could eventually trigger his "find light" behavior.) Sensing
a human, on the other hand, will result in an increase in his Comfort.
|
x-1, y+1 Depressed/Edgy |
x, y+1 Secure |
x+1, y+1 Playful |
x-1, y Upset
|
x, y Normal |
x+1, y Happy |
x-1, y-1 Angry
|
x, y-1 Afraid |
x+1, y-1 Concerned |
Note that Mood varies from bad to normal to good, while Comfort changes
from uncomfortable to normal to comfortable; and that each cell shows an overall attitude
that was determined by combining Mood and Comfort. (Bad + Uncomfortable =
Angry, Good + Comfortable = Playful). I'd like to use global variables to determine
the boundaries of these cells as that will make it a bit easier to change Albert's
behaviors. I could make the default "Normal" cell much larger than the
others, for example.
Mood Changes Based on Sensor Feedback
Albert will make decisions based on his overall mood. Some of these decisions will be reactive, such as the things the robot will say in response to external stimuli, others will be proactive as Albert tries to improve his condition. To illustrate this last point, if his Mood is low, he will eventually choose one of the actions that he knows will raise his Mood variable. Over time, Mood and Comfort will gradually return to the Normal state, whether the movement is up or down.
Here are some other things that will affect Albert's mood: (list incomplete)
Bumping into something (-Mood, -Comfort) Being in a well lit room (+Comfort -- evaluated every X minutes)
Being in a dark room (-Comfort -- evaluated every X minutes)
Sensing people (+Comfort -- evaluated every X minutes)
Not sensing people for an extended period (-Comfort -- evaluated every X minutes)
Playing a game (+Mood)
Loud noise (-Comfort)
Very bright light shined on light sensor (-Mood)
Low battery level (-Mood -- evaluated every X minutes)
Fresh battery level (+Mood -- evaluated every X minutes)
Sensor Based Decision Making and Speech
Albert's behaviors will change based on the mood he is in. Here are some examples:
Albert will spend a lot of time commenting on the world around him. Each of these comments will have nine possible variations to correspond with the nine cells in the Mood
Matrix. If Albert bumps into a wall he might say "Ouch" if his mood is Normal (x,y), "What's happening???" if his mood is Concerned (x+1,y-1), or even "Dammit" if his mood is Angry
(x-1,y)Once Albert's Comfort drops to a certain point, he will choose a behavior that will increase his Comfort. (Looking for light, looking for people, etc.)
Once Albert's Mood drops below a certain threshold he will start looking for ways to increase his Mood (playing a game, etc.)
When Albert is happy, he will be more likely to laugh, tell jokes (downloaded from a 'clean' joke webpage), play games, or sing songs
He will be more likely to go off exploring when his Comfort is high