Shy Machines
'Shy' is defined as nervous or timid in the company of other people. Also known as bashful or sheepish. It is commonly though of people who are shy as nervous in certain social situations. Shyness implies the presence of other people as well as animals, it is known that children can express shyness around unfamiliar animals. Shyness comes from a fear response. It is a flight response that instead of running away attempts to avoid eye contact, cover the face and disengage from the situation.
Shyness is not just a constant feeling of individuals in response to anyone. Most people are generally not shy when they are around their best friends or family, who they would be rather comfortable around and so the social setting of interactions with friends or family would be something the person is quite familiar with. This feeling of comfort and familiarity does not produce shy emotions.It only arises in specific circumstances such as when doing public speaking to a large crowd for the first time, In an interview for an important job or on a first date. These social settings have 3 commonalities. First they are unfamiliar settings, Second they are with people you are not comfortable with. Thirdly they have an inherent risk of failure. You could say something embarrassing in front of a large crowd, not get the job or ruin the first date.
The emotions of shyness can be reproduced by a machine such as a robot that has a face and eyes on a pivot. When it registers that someone is looking at it through eye tracking software then it rotates its head to look away. A second version of this robot would store data about which persons eyes have looked at them in the past and gradually become more familiar and comfortable with the person. As the robot becomes more acquainted with a persons eyes the robot will avoid the gaze less and less until it doesn't at all and holds the gaze. A third version of the shy robot would be fitted hands that are mounted on motors. If an entirely new set of eyes appear the shy robot will put its hands over its face and rotate all the way around. signifying extreme shyness. A fourth version would actually follow the gaze of people it is very familiar with.