Ruth Aylett

AAMAS Conference 2018 Conference Paper

Robot Expressive Behaviour and Autistic Traits

• Peter E. McKenna
• Ayan Ghosh
• RUTH AYLETT
• Frank Broz
• Ingo Keller
• Gnanathusharan Rajendran

The present experiment used a task-based approach to examine participants social signal recognition of an EMYS robot head and whether autistic traits, measured by the Autism-spectrum quotient (AQ), mediated this recognition. In line with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research, we predicted that participants with high AQ scores would produce more social signal recognition errors. In the task participants (N = 57) offered RFID-tagged objects to a fullbodied FLASH robot (called Alyx) and Alyx autonomously reacted with a either an approval or disapproval expression. Data analysis found no relationship between autistic traits and recognition accuracy. The findings are discussed in terms of experimental design and autistic traits.

AAMAS Conference 2016 Conference Paper

A Treasure Hunt with an Empathic Virtual Tutor (Demonstration)

• Mei Yii Lim
• Amol Deshmukh
• Srinivasan Janarthanam
• Helen Hastie
• RUTH AYLETT
• Lynne Hall

We present a demonstration of a Treasure Hunt Application with an Empathic Virtual Tutor. During the treasure hunt, this empathic agent adapts its interaction based on the affective state of the user to improve learning experience. We demonstrate the application domain; the technology used; and the app focusing on the empathic strategies applied.

AAMAS Conference 2016 Conference Paper

Am I Bovvered? Fifteen Years of Empathic Agents

• RUTH AYLETT

In 2001, the EU-funded project VICTEC pioneered the concept of an Empathic Agent. This was reported at AA- MAS in 2004 in a well-cited paper ‘Caring for Agents and Agents that Care: Building Empathic Relations with Synthetic Agents’ (Paiva, Dias, Sobral, Aylett, Sobreperez, Woods, Zoll, Hall). It advanced two goals for embodied empathic agents: characters that, by their actions and behaviours, are able to show empathy (or not) for other characters; and characters that, by their appearance, situation, and behaviour, are able to trigger empathic reactions in the user. In this talk we discuss how far Embodied Empathic Agents - whether graphical or robotic - are succeeding; what we can now do, and what open research questions remain. What are the key theoretical and technological advances already made and which are still needed? What applications are Empathic Agents ‘good’ for, and how do we know they are? And how do they relate to the broader field of social agents? CCS Concepts •Computing methodologies → Cognitive science; Intelligent agents; Discourse, dialogue and pragmatics; Cognitive robotics; Theory of mind; •Human-centered computing → Collaborative interaction;

AAMAS Conference 2016 Conference Paper

I Remember You! Interaction with Memory for an Empathic Virtual Robotic Tutor

• Helen Hastie
• Mei Yii Lim
• Srini Janarthanam
• Amol Deshmukh
• RUTH AYLETT
• Mary Ellen Foster
• Lynne Hall

We present a study that investigates the effect of incorporating memory in the interaction for a virtual robotic tutor in terms of helping children achieve a pedagogical goal and the perceived likeability and empathy of the tutor. The domain is a virtual robotic tutor who is guiding and helping learners through a mobile Treasure Hunt exercise that tests their map reading skills. The contribution described in this paper is the discovery that incorporating ‘memory’ through utterances that recall events from previous interactions significantly increases the learner’s ability to perform a pedagogical task. However, the virtual tutor with memory was perceived as less likeable and the instructions given as harder to follow than with a virtual tutor without memory. In addition, there was a significant drop in perceived empathy. This work has a large potential influence in the field of interaction design for agents as one cannot blindly add in human-like features, such as, memory that improve task performance without considering the potential detrimental effects to the perceived empathy and likeability.

AAMAS Conference 2016 Conference Paper

Modeling Culture in Intelligent Virtual Agents - From Theory to Implementation (JAAMAS Extended Abstract)

• Samuel Mascarenhas
• Nick Degens
• Ana Paiva
• Rui Prada
• Gert Jan Hofstede
• Adrie Beulens
• RUTH AYLETT

JAAMAS Journal 2015 Journal Article

Modeling culture in intelligent virtual agents

• Samuel Mascarenhas
• Nick Degens
• RUTH AYLETT

Abstract This work addresses the challenge of creating virtual agents that are able to portray culturally appropriate behavior when interacting with other agents or humans. Because culture influences how people perceive their social reality it is important to have agent models that explicitly consider social elements, such as existing relational factors. We addressed this necessity by integrating culture into a novel model for simulating human social behavior. With this model, we operationalized a particular dimension of culture—individualism versus collectivism—within the context of an interactive narrative scenario that is part of an agent-based tool for intercultural training. Using this scenario we conducted a cross-cultural study in which participants from a collectivistic country (Portugal) were compared with participants from an individualistic country (the Netherlands) in the way they perceived and interacted with agents whose behavior was either individualistic or collectivistic, according to the configuration of the proposed model. In the obtained results, Portuguese subjects rated the collectivistic agents more positively than the Dutch but both countries had a similarly positive opinion about the individualistic agents. This experiment sheds new light on how people from different countries differ when assessing the social appropriateness of virtual agents, while also raising new research questions on this matter.

AAMAS Conference 2013 Conference Paper

Memory and the Design of Migrating Virtual Agents

• RUTH AYLETT
• Michael Kriegel
• Iain Wallace
• Elena Segura
• Johanna Mercurio
• Stina Nylander

This paper discusses an experiment examining the impact of interaction memory on user perceptions of a virtual agent with multiple embodiments and migration between them. The outcome showed users perceived agents with memory as more competent, but it had no significant effect on a strong perception of consistent identity across multiple embodiments.

AAMAS Conference 2013 Conference Paper

Traveller: An Intercultural Training System with Intelligent Agents

• Samuel Mascarenhas
• André Silva
• Ana Paiva
• RUTH AYLETT
• Felix Kistler
• Elisabeth André
• Nick Degens
• Gert Jan Hofstede

There is a growing demand for new forms of intercultural training. We describe a demonstration of an agent-based application designed to teach young adults (18-25) general patterns of behaviour that can distinguish a broad range of cultures. Training is done through an interactive-story telling approach where the user must go through a series of critical incidents, interacting with agents capable of simulating different synthetic cultures in their behaviour.

AAMAS Conference 2012 Conference Paper

Can I trust you? Sharing information with artificial companions

• Matthias Keysermann
• RUTH AYLETT
• Sibylle Enz
• Henriette Cramer
• Carsten Zoll
• Patricia Vargas

This paper discusses an experiment to investigate issues of trust and confidentiality when sharing information with a robot companion in an office context. An online questionnaire was used to collect opinions about information sharing with a robot companion and preferences for collection and treatment of information. In a subsequent live interaction study, subjects role-played new members of an office team exchanging potentially sensitive information with the robot companion. Evaluated results and their implications are summarised and we suggest generic improvements for HRI systems used for information exchange.

AAMAS Conference 2012 Conference Paper

Migrating Artificial Companions

• Iain Wallace
• Michael Kriegel
• RUTH AYLETT

Migration is the ability of an agent to transfer from one embodiment, for example a robot, to another such as a mobile phone. For agents that are to act as personal companions migration is desirable as access to different capabilities can provide more constant companionship to a user. This interactive demonstration of screen to phone migration illustrates one application of the open-source architecture developed on the LIREC project to support migration of an affective agent across many types of embodiment.

AAMAS Conference 2011 Conference Paper

Forgetting Through Generalisation - A Companion with Selective Memory

• Mei Yii Lim
• RUTH AYLETT
• Patricia A. Vargas
• Sibylle Enz
• Wan Ching Ho

This research investigates event generalisation in computational episodic memory for artificial companions. Two studies indicated a preference of a biologically-inspired selective memory over an absolute memory companion. Consequently, we present a preliminary implementation of a forgetting mechanism that enables the companion to create "generalised event representations" from its experiences allowing the companion to learn from past encounters.

AAMAS Conference 2011 Conference Paper

Human-like Memory Retrieval Mechanisms for Social Companions

• Mei Yii Lim
• RUTH AYLETT
• Patricia A. Vargas
• Wan Ching Ho
• Jo
• atilde; o Dias

This paper demonstrates a biologically- and psychologically- inspired human - like computational memory focusing on the retrieval mechanisms - Spreading Activation and Compound Cue for a companion agent's episodic memory (EM) that helps the agent to manage it's memory more efficiently and enable it to have a more natural interaction with the user.

AAMAS Conference 2009 Conference Paper

But That Was in Another Country: Agents and Intercultural Empathy

• RUTH AYLETT
• Natalie Vannini
• Elisabeth Andre
• Ana Paiva
• Sibylle Enz
• Lynne Hall

This paper discusses the development of a believable agent-based educational application designed to develop inter-cultural empathy for 13-14 year old students. It considers relevant work in cultural taxonomy and adaptation to other cultures as well as work showing that users are sensitive to the perceived culture of believable interactive characters. It discusses how an existing affective agent architecture was developed to model culturallyspecific agent behaviour. Finally, it considers the role of interaction modalities in supporting an empathic engagement with culturally-specific characters.

JAAMAS Journal 2009 Journal Article

Guest editorial of the special issue on intelligent virtual agents

• Stefan Kopp
• RUTH AYLETT
• Catherine Pelachaud

AAMAS Conference 2008 Conference Paper

If I were you - Double appraisal in affective agents

• RUTH AYLETT
• Sandy Louchart

We report the implementation and evaluation of a Simulation Theory (ST) approach to the Theory of Mind in intelligent graphical agents driven by an affective agent architecture FAtiMA. The existing cognitive appraisal mechanism is adapted to produce a second appraisal cycle, a double appraisal, in order to evaluate the emotional impact of possible actions. The action with the greatest emotional impact is selected as a means of producing more interesting dramatic actions. A variant in which the actual minds of characters present are used is also implemented and evaluated. Results show that these mechanisms do produce more interesting stories.

KER Journal 2008 Journal Article

On the implications of the virtual storyteller’s point of view

• Jesús Ibáñez
• RUTH AYLETT
• Carlos Delgado-Mata
• Beatriz Molinuevo

Abstract This paper deals with the implications of showing the storyteller’s perspective when telling stories in virtual environments. The paper proposes an open and reusable architecture for the construction of virtual guides who tell stories about the worlds they inhabit from their own perspective. The system consists of two main components: the structure of a knowledge base to code the narrative knowledge about the worlds and a novel hybrid algorithm for the generation of narratives showing the storyteller’s viewpoint. The complete architecture has been developed. Furthermore, we carried out a study with users in order to both validate the implemented storytelling system and test whether the users consider it significantly better or worse (in terms of several aspects related to believability) adding the virtual guide perspective (as both text and animations showing emotions) to the guide discourse. The interesting results are discussed.

AAMAS Conference 2008 Conference Paper

So tell me what happened: turning agent-based interactive drama into comics

• Tiago Alves
• Ana Rita Sim
• otilde; es
• Rui Figueiredo
• Marco Vala
• Ana Paiva
• RUTH AYLETT

As virtual characters become more autonomous, their use in interactive drama is growing. By creating interesting and well authored personalities, these characters are able to interact with each other and create appealing non-scripted stories. As with any other story, we may want to re-tell it or create a summary of the essential parts. Our goal was to create comic-like summaries of these stories. This paper presents a system that analyses story logs, looks at the characters' emotional information to understand their actions and their importance in the story, selects the most important events and creates comic strips. Forty users evaluated the system and the results show that the summaries driven by the characters' emotional information are effective when compared with showing the stories as they unfold.

AAMAS Conference 2007 Conference Paper

FearNot! Demo – A Virtual Environment with Synthetic Characters to Help Bullying

• Marco Vala
• Pedro Sequeira
• Ana Paiva
• RUTH AYLETT

This demo features FearNot! , a school-based Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) populated by synthetic characters representing the various actors in a bullying scenario. FearNot! uses emergent narrative to create improvised dramas with those characters. The goal is to enable children to explore bullying issues, and coping strategies, interacting with characters to which they become affectively engaged. Through their appearance, behaviours and affect, these characters are able to trigger empathic relations with the user. FearNot! is used for Personal and Health Social Education (PHSE) for children aged 8–12, in the UK, Portugal and Germany.

ICAPS Conference 2006 Conference Paper

An Affectively Driven Planner for Synthetic Characters

• Ruth Aylett
• João Dias 0001
• Ana Paiva 0001

This paper discusses the requirements of planning for believable synthetic characters and examines the relationship between appraisal and planning as components of an affective agent architecture. It discusses an implementation in the synthetic characters of the FearNot! anti-bullying education demonstrator and how far this provides an adequate mechanism for believable behaviour.

AAMAS Conference 2004 Conference Paper

Caring for Agents and Agents that Care: Building Empathic Relations with Synthetic Agents

• Ana Paiva
• Jo�o Dias
• Daniel Sobral
• RUTH AYLETT

KER Journal 2000 Journal Article

Can models of agents be transferred between different areas?

• RUTH AYLETT
• KERSTIN DAUTENHAHN
• Jim Doran
• Michael Luck
• SCOTT MOSS
• Moshe Tennenholtz

One of the main reasons for the sustained activity and interest in the field of agent-based systems, apart from the obvious recognition of its value as a natural and intuitive way of understanding the world, is its reach into very many different and distinct fields of investigation. Indeed, the notions of agents and multi-agent systems are relevant to fields ranging from economics to robotics, in contributing to the foundations of the field, being influenced by ongoing research, and in providing many domains of application. While these various disciplines constitute a rich and diverse environment for agent research, the way in which they may have been linked by it is a much less considered issue. The purpose of this panel was to examine just this concern, in the relationships between different areas that have resulted from agent research. Informed by the experience of the participants in the areas of robotics, social simulation, economics, computer science and artificial intelligence, the discussion was lively and sometimes heated.

KER Journal 1998 Journal Article

Agent Systems and Applications

• RUTH AYLETT
• Frances Brazier
• NICK JENNINGS
• Michael Luck
• HYACINTH NWANA
• CHRIS PREIST

As the number of deployed multi-agent applications increases, further and better experience with the technology is gained, enabling a strong evaluation of the field from a more practical perspective. In particular, questions relating to how the theory of multi-agent systems impacts on practice, and how the practical development itself compares with other technologies, can be answered in the light of a heightened level of maturity. Given the tensions between theoreticians and practitioners in computing in general, let alone their spats in AI or multi-agent systems in particular, the discussion on agent systems and applications was both vigorous and enthusiastic

ECAI Conference 1998 Conference Paper

AI Planning in a Chemical Plant Domain

• Ruth Aylett
• James K. Soutter
• Gary J. Petley
• Paul W. H. Chung