Over decades, social robotics has evolved as a concept that presently covers different areas of application, and interacts with different domains in technology, education, medicine and others. Today, it is possible to envision social robots in tasks that were not expected years ago, and that is not only due to the evolution of social robots, but also to the evolution of the vision humans have for them. This survey addresses recent advances in social robotics from different perspectives. Different contexts and areas of application of social robots are addressed, as well as modalities of interaction with humans. Different robotic platforms used in social contexts are shown and discussed. Relationships of social robotics with advances in other technological areas are surveyed, and methods and metrics used for the human evaluation of the interaction with robots are presented. The future of social robotics is also envisioned based on surveyed works and from different points of view.

In this paper, a customizable wearable 3D-printed bionic arm is designed, fabricated, and optimized for a right arm amputee. An experimental test has been conducted for the user, where control of the artificial bionic hand is accomplished successfully using surface electromyography (sEMG) signals acquired by a multi-channel wearable armband. The 3D-printed bionic arm was designed for the low cost of 295 USD, and was lightweight at 428 g. To facilitate a generic control of the bionic arm, sEMG data were collected for a set of gestures (fist, spread fingers, wave-in, wave-out) from a wide range of participants. The collected data were processed and features related to the gestures were extracted for the purpose of training a classifier. In this study, several classifiers based on neural networks, support vector machine, and decision trees were constructed, trained, and statistically compared. The support vector machine classifier was found to exhibit an 89.93% success rate. Real-time testing of the bionic arm with the optimum classifier is demonstrated.

The field of prosthetics has seen many accomplishments over the last few years, especially with the incorporation of the latest technological advancements into these products. However, most of them have some problems, either with being incredibly expensive, hard to install and maintain, or may require surgical procedures. This paper introduces the initial design of a mind-controlled, smart, 3D printed prosthetic arm. The arm is controlled via brain commands, obtained from an electroencephalography (EEG) headset, and equipped with a network of smart sensors and actuators that give the patient intelligent feedback about the surrounding environment and the object in contact. This network provides the arm with normal hand functionality, smart reflexes and smooth movements. Various types of sensors are used including temperature, pressure, ultrasonic proximity sensors, accelerometers, potentiometers, strain gauges and gyroscopes. Preliminary experimental results show that the proposed EEG Mind-controlled Arm is a promising alternative for current solutions that require invasive and expensive surgical procedures.

The increasing integration of the Internet of Things (IoT) into daily life has led to significant changes in our social interactions. The advent of innovative IoT solutions, combined with the enhanced capabilities and expanded reach of 5G wireless networks, is altering the way humans interact with machines. Notably, the advancement of edge computing, underpinned by 5G networks within IoT frameworks, has markedly extended human sensory perception and interaction. A key biometric within these IoT applications is electroencephalography (EEG), recognized for its sensitivity, cost-effectiveness, and distinctiveness. Traditionally linked to brain–computer interface (BCI) applications, EEG is now finding applications in a wider array of fields, from neuroscience research to the emerging area of neuromarketing. The primary aim of this article is to offer a comprehensive review of the current challenges and future directions in EEG data acquisition, processing, and classification, with a particular focus on the increasing reliance on data-driven methods in the realm of 5G wireless network-supported EEG-enabled IoT solutions. Additionally, the article presents a case study on EEG-based emotion recognition, exemplifying EEG’s role as a biometric tool in the IoT domain, propelled by 5G technology.

This paper addresses the limitations of relying solely on facial expressions for emotion recognition by proposing an advanced approach that emphasizes continuous monitoring of electroencephalography (EEG) signals. Recognizing the potential for deception in facial expressions, our study leverages the growing interest in EEG signals, tapping into advancements in deep learning and machine learning. By optimizing the configuration of EEG electrodes, our approach enhances the accuracy of emotion classification systems, offering a streamlined solution. The proposed multi-input system refines EEG-based emotion recognition efficiency and integrates facial expression analysis to enhance overall system effectiveness. Through the application of brain heat map topographies and facial expression recognition, our system, employing just nine electrodes, outperforms basic emotion recognition setups. Experimental results validate that combining facial expression analysis with EEG signals provides a more comprehensive and accurate understanding of human emotions. This innovative approach holds significance across various sectors, including healthcare, psychology, and human–computer interaction. The paper introduces a novel multi-input system approach, collaboratively fusing two powerful deep learning algorithms: two Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). The proposed EEG-based CNN algorithm achieves an efficiency of 87.43%, rising to 91.21% when integrated with the DeepFace CNN. The seamless integration of facial expressions and brain topographies enables the system to efficiently harness abundant information from both modalities, ensuring a thorough comprehension of human emotions. By capitalizing on the combined advantages of analyzing facial expressions and EEG-derived brain topography, this avant-garde technique substantially improves both precision and efficiency in emotion recognition systems. This enhancement establishes a foundation for the introduction of innovative applications across a spectrum of fields.

Electrical biosignals have the potential for use as biometric authenticators, owing to their ability to facilitate liveness detection and concealed nature. In this work, the viability of using surface electromyogram (sEMG) as a biometric modality for users verification is investigated. A database of multi-channel sEMG signals is created using a wearable armband from able-bodied users. Each user used his/her muscles to form a password that consists of a unique combination of specific hand gestures. A total of 18 features are extracted from the signals in order to distinguish between the users. Several features are extracted in the frequency domain after estimating the power spectral density while using the Welch’s method. Specifically, average frequency, signal power, median frequency, Kurtosis, Deciles, coefficient of dissymmetry, and the peak frequency of the sEMG signal are considered. To further increase the accuracy of the classifier, time domain features are also extracted through segmentation of the signal into 10 segments, and then calculating both the root mean square and length of the signal. Several classifiers that are based on K-nearest Neighbors (KNN), Linear Discernment Analysis (LDA), and Ensemble of Classifiers are constructed, trained, and statistically compared, resulting in an average accuracy in 97.4%, 98.3%, and 98.5%, respectively. False acceptance rate (FAR) and False Rejection Rate (FRR) are estimated for each classifier in order to determine the effectiveness of the biometrics verification system. Although the ensemble classifier accuracy was found to be the highest, the results show that the KNN classifier exhibits a FAR of 0.2% and FRR of 2.9%. Thus, the KNN classifier was found to he the optimum classifier after the extraction of all 18 features. This work demonstrates the usefulness of sEMG as a biometric authenticator in user verification.