Paying Attention to Attention: Meta-Awareness

 Case of Segway struck me here.  Reasonable?  

University of Miami neuroscientist Amishi Jha explains why and how leaders should hone their meta-awareness.  by Theodore Kinni   in Strategy-Business

Once upon a time, the Segway was going to revolutionize the transportation industry. Steve Jobs reportedly said that Dean Kamen’s invention had the transformative potential of the personal computer, and venture capitalist John Doerr predicted that Kamen’s startup would reach US$1 billion in sales—a lot of money in 2001, when nobody but tweens believed in unicorns—at record speed. Instead, sightseeing tours and mall cop beats were nearly the only things the two-wheeled, self-balancing personal transporter transformed.

There are many reasons why the Segway never achieved its purported promise, but a lot of them track back to the misplaced focus of Dean Kamen. He didn’t see the forest for the trees. He was so intently focused on one narrow aspect of the Segway—the innovative technology that enabled its intuitive, automatic balance and operation—that he and his early boosters were unaware that its markets were extremely limited. Where in a nation of cities and towns that considered skateboards too dangerous for the sidewalks would hundreds of thousands of Segway riders be allowed to zip around? And short of that, who was going to pay $5,000 to take a Segway for a spin in the driveway? ... ' 

Channeling the Inner Voice of Robots

Like consciousness or a cognitive infrastructure that feeds into our decisions and broad behavior like a consciousness?     If it produces better measure of decisions, why not.   Consciosness, inner voice 

Channeling the Inner Voice of Robots  By Samuel Greengard, Commissioned by CACM Staff, June 29, 2021

Philosophers, psychologists, and neuroscientists have long studied how and why humans talk to themselves as they navigate tasks, manage decisions, and solve problems. "Inner speech is the silent conversation that most healthy human beings have with themselves," says Alain Morin, a professor in the Department of Psychology at Mount Royal University in Alberta, Canada.

Now, as robotics marches forward and devices increasingly rely on a combination of machine learning and conventional programming to navigate the physical world, researchers are exploring ways to imbue machines with an inner voice. This "self-consciousness" could provide insight and feedback into how and why these systems make decisions, while helping them improve at various tasks.

The impact on service robots, computer speech systems, virtual assistants, and autonomous vehicles could be significant. "A cognitive architecture for inner speech may be the first step toward functional aspects of robot consciousness. It may represent the beginning of a new domain for human-robot interactions," explains Antonio Chella, professor of robotics and director of the RoboticsLab at the University of Palermo in Italy.

Robot Talk

Applying the principles of human speech and cognition to machines is a steep challenge.  "Consciousness is a very complex and fuzzy term," observes Angelo Cangelosi, professor of machine learning and robotics at the University of Manchester in the U.K. "While machines may not be aware in the way humans are aware, the idea of modeling speech characteristics to enrich interactions could deliver deeper insight into machine behavior."

The idea is taking shape. In April 2021, Chella and University of Palermo research fellow Arianna Pipitone equipped a robot named Pepper from SoftBank Robotics with a cognitive architecture that models inner speech. This allowed the robot to reason and interact at a deeper level—and to generate vocal feedback about how it arrived at answers and actions. This is possible because the parameters and attributes of the inner voice are different than those for outward expression, the researchers note.  ... ' 

Making Systems Aware of Context

Awareness, also known as context, is often an important aspect of intelligence.

Two Systems Allow Smart Devices to Have Environmental Awareness
in Electronics360    By Siobhan Treacy

Two teams of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) researchers have developed two new systems that give smart devices environmental awareness by analyzing either sound or vibrations to register their surroundings. The Ubicoustics system uses the microphones in smart devices to register and classify environmental sounds, having been trained on sound-effect archives used by the entertainment industry. Says CMU's Gierad Laput, "We can transform and project [these sound libraries] into hundreds of different variations, creating volumes of data perfect for training deep learning models." The other system, Vibrosight, classifies sounds by detecting vibrations via an integrated sensor, laser, and motorized steerable mirror. Ubicoustics and Vibrosight were both presented this week at the ACM User Interface Software and Technology Symposium (UIST2018) in Berlin. .... " 

Authentic Emotional Intelligence

Can they be separated?  Can deep learning be yet more precise in making a distinction?   In some early work with MIT Media lab we tried to detect emotion and engagement when people interacted with product.   Can artificial neurons now do it the same way?

Is Your Emotional Intelligence Authentic, or Self-Serving?  By Ron Carucci in the HBR

It’s possible to fake emotional intelligence. Similar to knockoffs of luxury watches or handbags, there are emotions and actions that look like the real thing but really aren’t. With the best of intentions, I’ve seen smart leaders charge into sensitive interactions armed with what they believed was a combination of deep empathy, attuned listening, and self-awareness but was, in fact, a way to serve their own emotional needs. It’s important to learn to spot these forgeries, especially if you’re the forger. ..... "

Remote Vehicle Interaction

Beyond the Driverless Car.

Team of Engineering, CS Students Enhance Future of Remote Vehicles 
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
By Katharina Lane

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University researchers have combined a small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS), an augmented reality (AR) headset, and a neuromuscular gesture recognition armband to develop a tool that enables unmanned aircraft pilots to safely operate remote aerial vehicles while remaining mobile and carrying out other tasks. The new system is a wearable technology that mimics natural human-to-human interaction. In addition, the AR system lets users communicate with each other, and can be programmed to enable users to access only information they have clearance to see, says Embry-Riddle's Adam Berlier. He notes the system relies on a Microsoft HoloLens AR headset and an MYO gesture recognition armband (previously developed by Embry-Riddle researchers) so users can retain situational awareness while controlling the remote vehicle. "In addition to first responders, this technology would be very useful for sUAS inspections of structures such as power lines or wind turbines," says Embry-Riddle's Brandon Koury .... "

Self Awareness

What Self-Awareness Really Is (and How to Cultivate It)
Tasha Eurich in HBR

Self-awareness seems to have become the latest management buzzword — and for good reason. Research suggests that when we see ourselves clearly, we are more confident and more creative. We make sounder decisions, build stronger relationships, and communicate more effectively. We’re less likely to lie, cheat, and steal. We are better workers who get more promotions. And we’re more-effective leaders with more-satisfied employees and more-profitable companies. .... "