Here is a simple reflection on the eternal mind-body problem:
The basic idea is that (at least higher forms of) living organisms consist of a mind-body system, where the mind carries a representation/model of the exterior + organism supported by sensory input from the body. Part of the mind appears as consciousness carried by sensations/feelings over basically a range from pain to pleasure. To be conscious thus basically is to experience pain or pleasure as hunger or sex, or more or less sublimated sensations from music, arts, poetry, science, sports,...
To give a robot life it is with this perspective necessary to give the robot the capacity of feeling pain and pleasure, with pain leading away from destruction and the ultimate of sexual pleasure driving reproduction.
To give a robot life, it thus appears necessary to give the robot the capacity to helplessly fall in love and experience highest sexual pleasure together with one (or more) other robot(s) (of the same or opposite sex). Will this be possible? Is it desirable?
Another aspect on the role of experiencing pain (and pleasure): A tree is not equipped with a central nervous system capable of feeling pain, because it cannot move away from what causes the pain, or move closer to pleasure. In other words, our mind is coming along with our legs.
Compare: Why walking help us think.
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The interesting part is what the consciousness is and where is it located. Looking at the brain as a modeling machine gives some insight. As you and other say the brain creates a model/representation in real time of all information coming in through senses and sensors inside the body. But the brain also have access to the model.
SvaraRaderaSeeing it as modeling machine it makes sense that it also models the model, maybe recursively to some extent (It actually also performs some really nifty prognosis work which would not be possible if it didn't model the model). In any case it is not farfetched to assume that the consciousness lives in that loop. Some researchers say it's the model of awareness.
In case of a sentient robot it would also need something similar to feelings to trigger it do do anything. Otherwise it would have no incentive to do anything.
I would also expect it would need som clever self deception mechanism, to not see the futility and immediately self terminate, or go severly depressed.