System and method for generating contextual behaviors of a mobile robot

• US 9,205,557 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2010
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SoftBank Robotics Europe SAS
• Original Assignee: Aldebaran Robotics S.A. (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Maisonnier, Bruno, Monceaux, Jrme
• Primary Examiner(s): Jen, Ian
• Application Number:
  US13/383,196
• Publication Number:
  US 20120197436A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,975 Days
• Field of Search: 700/250, 700/252
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1656 characterised by programming, planning systems for manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/008 based on physical entities controlled by simulated intelligence so as to replicate intelligent life forms, e.g. based on robots replicating pets or humans in their appearance or behaviour

Abstract

A system and a method for generating behaviors of a robot capable of reproducing a script, notably according to the meaning of the script and, possibly, reactions of the environment of the robot. For this, the system is provided with a library of command tags and a module for inserting said tags into the editor of the script to be reproduced by the robot or robots. The system and method enable a user who does not have particular programming knowledge to produce complex scenarios for use of his or her robot. These scenarios can also be swapped between different users.

Claims

1. A system for editing and controlling physical behaviors of at least one robot by a user having access to a graphical interface, comprising:

a computer configured to implement a module for editing any text to be spoken by the robot;

a sound synthesis device comprising a sound synthesis module for synthesizing said text;

a library of command tags stored on the computer for effectuating physical behaviors to be executed by the robot, said command tags being graphic symbols representative of said physical behaviors; and

the computer configured to implement a module for inserting said tags into said text and a module for generating and controlling the physical behaviors of said robot,

said system being configured to allow a selection of at least one of command tag in the library, said library being distinct from the text to be spoken, and to allow an insertion of said tag in a sequence of words of said text to launch an execution of a behavior defined by a graphic symbol and concomitant with saying said text to be spoken.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the command tags are inserted into the text between at least one opening separator and at least one closing separator, which respectively trigger a start of a series of the physical behaviors and an end of said series.

3. The system according to claim 1, the computer further comprising an environment monitoring module interfaced with sensors embedded in the robot for monitoring the environment of the robot, wherein said library of command tags comprises at least one tag for controlling the physical behavior of the robot dependent on an environment of the robot.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the library of command tags comprises at least one tag selected from a group of wait commands and commands in response to an expected external action.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the command tags are selected from a group comprising said graphic symbols, punctuation marks, and words.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the command tags are inserted into the text in the form of a list, each item in said list corresponding to a phrase member with which a group of physical behaviors is associated.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the physical behaviors to be executed by the robot are selected from the group comprising combinations of modulations of voices reading a text and gestures accompanying the text and signal emissions.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the modulations of the voices are selected from a group comprising combinations of different languages, voices, tones, speeds, and intonations.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the module for editing the text communicates with the module for controlling the physical behaviors of the robot by an electronic messaging module.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is configured to communicate with elements belonging to a controlled group comprising physical robots, virtual robots, and computers.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the physical and virtual robots belonging to the controlled group each execute a part of the text determined by at least one command tag characteristic of each of the elements of the controlled group.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the physical behavior controlled by a command tag changes according to a random change, a cyclic change, or a contextual change.

13. A method for editing and controlling physical behaviors of at least one robot by a user having access to a graphical interface, comprising:

editing at a computer, any text to be spoken by the robot;

synthesizing, at a sound synthesis device, sound corresponding to said text;

reading, at the computer, from a library of command tags of physical behaviors to be executed by the robot, said library of command tags being graphic symbols representative of said physical behaviors;

inserting, at the computer, said tags into said text; and

controlling, via a control module of the computer, the physical behaviors of said robot, wherein;

at least one tag is selected in said library, said library being distinct from the text to be spoken, and inserted in a sequence of words of said text to launch the execution of a behavior defined by a graphical symbol, concomitant with saying said text to be spoken.

14. The method for editing and controlling behaviors according to claim 13, wherein the command tags are inserted into the text between at least one opening separator and at least one closure separator which respectively trigger a start of a series of the physical behaviors and an end of said series.