A conscious robot that expects emotions

Abstract

This research is aimed at achieving human consciousness in a robot. The authors focus on mirror image cognition, which is a high-level conscious function of humans, and have been conducting mirror image cognition tests with the robot, and have discovered that emotion and feelings are closely related to decision-making and learning. However, do humans always decide on an action through their emotions? Most probably, people learn from their experiences and decide on an action by expecting the future status using past experiences. Consciousness and memory are closely related to each other, and are important factors also in achieving consciousness in a robot. The present paper discusses human consciousness, episodic memory, one of the memory functions, and expectation. It also reports on the study of a conscious robot that incorporates all of these elements.