Resonance of Intentions with an Embodied Agent based on the Free Energy Principle

The collaboration project with the leading author, Takeru Hashimoto and Jun Tani (Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology)

Abstract

Physical joint action shapes a sense of partnership by enabling individuals to negotiate intentions through mutual coordination. However, conventional physical agents typically rely on pre-learned transition rules, which limits their ability to adapt to a partner’s improvisational interventions. To address this, we propose a physical agent grounded in the Free Energy Principle that negotiates intentions through physical interaction. The agent uses a predictive coding-based RNN to dynamically update their internal intention (μ) and time constant (τ), minimizing real-time prediction errors caused by physical contact. This mechanism allows the agent to synchronize with the human’s motion pattern and tempo. In the demonstration “Shall We Dance?”, visitors hold hands with the agent and haptically perceive the resistance at the hands disappear as the agent infers the human’s new intent.

Shall We Dance? Resonance of Intentions with an Embodied Agent based on the Free Energy Principle Takeru Hashimoto, Jun Tani, Shunichi Kasahara SIGGRAPH Emerging Technologies ‘26, Los Angeles, CA, USA, July 19–23, 2026

See also : https://tkrtkr.com/project/shall_we_dance/