An autonomous device behaving adaptively to a user includes a sensing unit; a
recognition unit for recognizing user's command, a current user-related status,
and a current user-unrelated status based on the sensed signals; a pseudo-personality-forming
unit for establishing a pseudo-personality based on the result of the preceding
recognition; a pseudo-emotion-forming unit for establishing pseudo-emotions based
on the result of the preceding recognition and the pseudo-personality; an autonomous
behavior-establishing unit for selecting autonomous behavior based on the result
of the preceding recognition, the pseudo-personality, and the pseudo-emotions;
a new behavior pattern generation unit for generating new patterns of autonomous
behavior, linked to the autonomous behavior-establishing unit; a commanded behavior-establishing
unit for constituting commanded behavior in accordance with the user's command;
a behavior control unit for controlling behavior by combining the autonomous behavior
and the commanded behavior; and an output device outputting the controlled behavior.
The device comes to be viewed as a "pet" or a "friend" in a relatively short time.
