Intempus: Giving Robots Human Emotions

05/25/2025 Robotics

Nineteen-year-old Teddy Warner, with a family background in robotics, is revolutionizing the field with his company, Intempus. Instead of focusing solely on functionality, Intempus aims to imbue existing robots with human-like emotional expressions. This isn't about creating artificial faces; rather, it's about leveraging subtle kinetic movements of the robot's body to convey emotional states. This approach is rooted in the understanding that humans subconsciously interpret a significant amount of emotional information from body language.

The "Physiological State" Gap

Warner's inspiration stemmed from his experience at an AI research lab. He recognized a critical limitation in current AI models: the lack of a "physiological state" in robots. Unlike humans and animals, who exhibit intermediate emotional responses between observation and action, robots typically proceed directly from observation to action. This gap, Warner argues, hinders the development of AI that truly understands and interacts with the world in a nuanced and human-like way. By incorporating emotional responses, robots can bridge this gap, leading to more sophisticated and intuitive AI.

From Sweat Data to Emotional Robots

Intempus's initial research involved exploring various physiological data sources. While fMRI initially proved impractical, the use of polygraph data—specifically, sweat data—yielded promising results. This innovative approach allowed the development of a model that enables robots to exhibit an "emotional composition" based on physiological readings. The scope of data collection has since expanded to encompass heart rate, body temperature, and photoplethysmography.

Launched in September 2024, Intempus has already secured partnerships with seven enterprise robotics companies. Currently focusing on retrofitting existing robots, Intempus is actively engaged in research and development and is exploring the possibility of constructing its own emotionally intelligent robots in the future. The company's future steps involve hiring additional staff and conducting user testing of its technology.