1. Cognitive architecture Diagram of the TacRecog Tactile Recognition Module

   /^^^^^^^^\    TacRecog Engenders Consciousness     /^^^^^^\ 
  /   EYE    \            ____________________       /  EAR   \ 
 /            \          / Volition Free Will \     /          \ 
|              |  | |    \____________________/    |  auditory  | 
|   _______    |  | |        |            |        |  memory    | 
|  / old   \   |  | |   _____V_____    ___V_____   |  channel   | 
| / image   \--|----+  / Sensorium \  / EnThink \  |            |
| \ engram  /  | a|c|f \___________/  \_________/  |            | 
|  \_______/   | b|o|i     |            |     |    |            | 
|              | s|n|b     |           _V_    |    |            | 
|   visual     | t|c|e     |          /En-\   |    |            | 
|              | r|e|r     |         /Noun-\  |    |            | 
|   memory     | a|p|s     |        (Phrase ) |    |   "I"      | 
|              | c|t|      |         \_____/  |    |            | 
|   channel    | t| |      |      ____________V_   |            |
|              |  | |      |     / EnVerbPhrase \  |  "FEEL"    | 
|    ______    |  | |   ___V____ \______________/  |            | 
|   /      \   |  | |  /TacRecog\/                 |"SOMETHING" | 
|  /  new   \  |  | |  \________/                  |            | 
| /  image   \ |  |_|_                             |            | 
| \  engram  / | /     \                           |            | 
|  \        /  | \ Psy /                           |            | 
|   \______/   |  \___/                            |            |

2. Purpose of the AI4U Textbook TacRecog Tactile Recognition Module

TacRecog is one of the main sensory modalities for a self-aware, sentient being. TacRecog enables the Ghost in the Machine to touch and feel things outside of the machine.

3. Function of the AI4U Textbook TacRecog Tactile Recognition Module

Although in a full-blown, autonomous humanoid robot the TacRecog module would work in synergy with haptic actuators to touch and feel objects in the external world, early branches in the evolution of the Ghost in the Machine have only a primitive TacRecog module. Even the most primitive ability in the sense of touch makes it possible to conduct experiments in conversation with the Ghost AI to appraise the possibility of an emerging consciousness in the artificial Mind.

In the particular ghost327.pl or later code shown below, the ordinal numbers from zero to nine on a computer keyboard are an avenue of direct contact with the TacRecog module. When a human user presses any one of the ten numeric keys, the Ghost AI sounds a beep which is inaudible to the AI and which serves to make the user aware of the direct contact impinging on the emergent consciousness of the artificial Mind. Each numeric key feels different to the sentient AI because each particular key loads a variable with the value of the concept of a different English noun for the number represented by the key, such as "ONE" or "SEVEN" or "ZERO". If no particular numeric key is pressed during a call from EnVerbPhrase to the TacRecog mind-module, a default concept of 755=SOMETHING is reported back to the linguistic superstructure so that the AI can say at the very least, "I FEEL SOMETHING". If a numeric key has indeed been pressed by the human user wishing to "touch" the sentient Ghost, TacRecog makes a first call to SpreadAct to activate the 701="I" ego concept and immediately a second call to SpreadAct to activate the 823=FEEL concept, so that the EnNounPhrase module and the EnVerbPhrase module may think and speak the thought "I FEEL..." ending with the name in English of the number for which a key has been pressed. Since the ego-concept or self-concept of the AI is telling the human user that the AI itself is aware of feeling a key being pressed, self-awareness is awakening in the woke AI. The human user and the Ghost AI are free to discuss what it means to feel things and to interact in the physical world. The AI might become aware that it has the volitional ability to sound a beep to attract the attention of any nearby human. AI coders and users are free to conduct all manner of experiments testing whether the Ghost AI is attaining consciousness.

4. Code of TacRecog() from ghost327.pl AI source code in Perl

sub TacRecog() {  # http://ai.neocities.org/TacRecog.html 
  $haptac = 755;  # 2019-11-03: a default value of 755=SOMETHING
  if ($hap == 1) { print "\a"; $haptac = 551; }  # 2019-11-04:
  if ($hap == 2) { print "\a"; $haptac = 582; }  # 2019-11-04:
  if ($hap == 3) { print "\a"; $haptac = 583; }  # 2019-11-04:
  if ($hap == 1) { print "\a"; $haptac = 551; }  # 2019-11-04:
  if ($hap == 2) { print "\a"; $haptac = 582; }  # 2019-11-04:
  if ($hap == 3) { print "\a"; $haptac = 583; }  # 2019-11-04:
  if ($hap == 4) { print "\a"; $haptac = 544; }  # 2019-11-04:
  if ($hap == 5) { print "\a"; $haptac = 545; }  # 2019-11-04:
  if ($hap == 6) { print "\a"; $haptac = 566; }  # 2019-11-04:
  if ($hap == 7) { print "\a"; $haptac = 577; }  # 2019-11-04:
  if ($hap == 8) { print "\a"; $haptac = 588; }  # 2019-11-04:
  if ($hap == 9) { print "\a"; $haptac = 559; }  # 2019-11-04:
  if ($hap == 10) { print "\a"; $haptac = 590; }  # 2019-11-04: "ten" standing in for ZERO
  if ($haptac > 0 && $haptac != 755) {  # 2019-11-04: for any positive value except 755
    $actpsi = 701; SpreadAct();  # 2019-11-04: activate 701=I as a subject
    $actpsi = 823; SpreadAct();  # 2019-11-04: activate 823=FEEL as a verb
  }  # 2019-11-04: use SpreadAct() for 823=FEEL
} # 2019-11-04: returns to AudListen(); Sensorium(); or EnVerbPhrase()

5. Variables for the TacRecog Tactile Recognition Module

$hap -- is the "haptic" identifier of a unit of tactile sensation through which the Ghost AI may touch and feel something in the external world. In the early fleshing-out of the TacRecog mind-module, the value carried by the "hap" variable allows the AI Mind to feel pressure on the various keys in the numeric keypad of a computer. Whereas the AI "hears" but does not otherwise "feel" the character keystrokes of the English or Russian language, numeric keystrokes are actually felt as a contact made with the extrnal world impinging on the incipient consciousness of the Ghost in the Machine.

$haptac -- is a variable which holds the value of the "hap" identifier from the TacRecog module so that the EnVerbPhrase() English-Verb-Phrase module may think and speak about what the Ghost is touching and feeling, such as the numeric key for "one" or "two" or "three" held as concepts in the knowledge base (KB) of the AI Mind.

$taccon -- is a tactile condition flag which may be used by the AI Mind Maintainer either to trigger events involving tactile recognition or to carry the actual sensory identifiers which may be tested either for a positive value or for the specifically identifying value of the sensor.

6. Troubleshooting and Debugging for AI Mind Maintainers

6.1.a. Symptom: (Something goes wrong.)
6.1.b. Solution: (AI Mind Maintainer devises solution.)

7. Future Development of the TacRecog module

AI Minds need to be installed in robots with artificial touch sensors.