Humanoid game-playing robot, method and system for using said robot

• US 9,950,421 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2011
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SoftBank Robotics Europe SAS
• Original Assignee: SoftBank Robotics Europe SAS
• Inventors: Monceaux, Jerome, Boudier, Celine
• Primary Examiner(s): Sample, Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US13/808,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20130103196A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,493 Days
• Field of Search: 700245-264
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/243 with other kinds of input
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2433 Voice-actuated
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2476 Speech or voice synthesisers, e.g. using a speech chip
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/183 electric
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 11/18 Figure toys which perform a realistic walking motion
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 2200/00 Computerized interactive toys, e.g. dolls
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0006 Exoskeletons, i.e. resembling a human figure
• 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

The invention relates to a player humanoid robot, a method and computer programs associated therewith. The prior art does not disclose any humanoid robot able to move on its lower limbs, to perform gestures, to communicate visual and/or audible signs, to receive same and interpret them so as to deduce therefrom appropriate behaviors for participating in a game in time as compere, questioner, questioned, investigator or mobile stake for the game. The hardware architectures, internal software and software for programming the robot of the invention make it possible to carry out these functions and to create new game experiences in which the boundaries between virtual world and real world are shifted once again.

Claims

1. A humanoid robot, said robot configured to move on its lower limbs, perform movements of its upper limbs, send and receive messages selected from a group of visual messages, a group of speech messages, a group of gestural messages and/or a group of tactile messages, and produce at least one autonomous behavior,

said at least one behavior constituting an element of a game sequence generated in response to at least one message selected from the group of visual messages, the group of speech messages, the group of gestural messages and/or the group of tactile messages,

said robot being configured to ask to a player at least one question in the form of a message selected from the group of speech messages, to calculate a speech recognition confidence index of at least one response message from the player belonging to the group of speech messages, and to determine whether at least one response message belonging to the group of speech messages contains a correct response, a false response or an ambiguous response, and said determination being performed on output from a loop of iterations determined as a function of the comparison of the speech message recognition confidence index of said at least one response message with at least a first speech message recognition threshold, and a second speech message recognition threshold for said responses, said second speech message recognition threshold being higher than said first speech message recognition threshold, said robot being further configured, at each iteration:

if the confidence index is below the first threshold, to ask the player to repeat said response message;

if the confidence index is above or equal to the first threshold, and below the second threshold, to pose an additional question to the player;

if the confidence index is above or equal to the second threshold, to detect the response message as a correct response or a false response.

2. The humanoid robot of claim 1, further configured to recognize objects in its environment and of integrating them into the sequence of said game.

3. The humanoid robot of claim 1, further being the compere of a game of questions responses wherein at least one other player participates, who must provide the responses to the questions asked by the robot.

4. The humanoid robot of claim 1, further being one of the players in a game in which at least one other player participates and in which it must recognize a person or a thing as a function at least of clues which are communicated to it by said at least one other player.

5. The humanoid robot of claim 1, wherein its movements are determined as a function of at least a combination of first displacement directives which are communicated to it by a remote control manipulated by a first player, second displacement directives, antagonistic to the first directives, which are communicated to it visually by a second player, and third displacement directives, antagonistic to the second directives and which are communicated to it by a third player.

6. The humanoid robot of claim 1, wherein at least two robots participate in one and the same game, said at least two robots being in communication through at least one visual, speech and/or gestural message.

7. The humanoid robot of claim 1, wherein at least two robots participate in one and the same game, said at least two robots being in communication by exchange of behavior messages.

8. The humanoid robot as claimed in claim 7, wherein said exchange of behavior messages is activated after a step of reciprocal identification of said robots by exchange of information characterizing them.

9. The humanoid robot of claim 8, wherein said at least two robots are furthermore able to download a signal for synchronizing their movements.

10. The humanoid robot of claim 1, wherein at least one player robot and another player are situated in two places not linked by a local network.

11. The humanoid robot of claim 10, wherein said at least one player robot and another player communicate by wide area network communication protocol and in that said player robot is endowed with autonomous processing means for the encoding of network accesses.

12. The humanoid robot of claim 1, wherein a player is able to communicate with it by way of a visual code.

13. The humanoid robot of claim 1, further being configured to carry out a function of assistance of at least one other player consisting in performing at least one action in the game in place of the player.

14. The humanoid robot of claim 1, further being configured to trigger and manage the interruptions and resumptions of a game sequence.

15. The humanoid robot of claim 1, further being configured to recognize at least one player from among several, said recognition using a clue selected from a group of visual, speech, gestural and/or tactile clues.

18. The humanoid robot of claim 1, wherein a player in a game in which it is able to cooperate with at least one other player to solve at least one riddle.

19. The humanoid robot of claim 1, wherein said determination further includes asking a player to repeat an answer.

20. The humanoid robot of claim 1, wherein said determination further includes asking an additional question.

16. A method of controlling a humanoid robot configured to move on its lower limbs, perform movements of its upper limbs, send and receive messages selected from a group of visual messages, a group of speech messages, a group of gestural messages and/or a group of tactile messages, and produce at least one autonomous behavior, said at least one behavior constituting an element of a game sequence generated in response to at least one message selected from the group of visual messages, the group of speech messages, the group of gestural messages and/or the group of tactile messages, said method comprising steps of:

asking at least one question in the form of a message selected from the group of speech messages,

calculating a speech message recognition confidence index of at least one response message belonging to the group of speech messages, and

determining whether at least one response message belonging to the group of speech messages contains a correct response, a false response or an ambiguous response, said determining being performed on output from a loop of iterations determined as a function of the comparison of the speech message recognition confidence index of said at least one response message with at least a first speech message recognition threshold, and a second speech message recognition threshold for said responses, said second speech message recognition threshold being higher than said first speech message recognition threshold, said method further comprising, at each iteration;

if the confidence index is below the first threshold, to ask the player to repeat said response message;

if the confidence index is above or equal to the first threshold, and below the second threshold, to pose an additional question to the player;

if the confidence index is above or equal to the second threshold, to detect the response message as a correct response or a false response.

17. A computer program comprising program code instructions executed on a computer to control a humanoid robot,

said program being configured to allow the humanoid robot to move on its lower limbs, to perform movements of its upper limbs, to send and to receive messages selected from a group of visual messages, a group of speech messages, a group of gestural messages and/or a group of tactile messages, and to produce at least one autonomous behavior, said at least one behavior constituting an element of a game sequence generated in response to at least one message selected from the group of visual messages, the group of speech messages, the group of gestural messages and/or the group of tactile messages,

said program further comprising computer code instructions configured to generate a behavior in which said robot asks at least one question in the form of a message selected from the group of speech messages, to calculate a speech message recognition confidence index of at least one response message belonging to the group of speech messages, and computer code instructions configured to determine whether at least one response message belonging to the group of speech messages contains a correct response, a false response or an ambiguous response, said determination being performed on output from a loop of iterations determined as a function of the comparison of the speech message recognition confidence index of said at least one response message with a first speech message recognition threshold and a second speech message recognition threshold for said responses, said second speech message recognition threshold being higher than said first speech message recognition threshold, said program further comprising computer code instructions configured, at each iteration:

if the confidence index is below the first threshold, to ask the player to repeat said response message;

if the confidence index is above or equal to the first threshold, and below the second threshold, to pose an additional question to the player;

if the confidence index is above or equal to the second threshold, to detect the response message as a correct response or a false response.