#Scrabble play against computer vs human series

As reliability improves, the goal is for Victor to be available for games anytime, without need of supervision.Īs with an earlier social robot, a roboceptionist that greets visitors to the neighboring Newell-Simon Hall, Simmons and his robotics team worked closely with colleagues in drama to craft the character of Victor and create his backstory. He usually operates for a couple of hours each day, with a research team member at hand in case there are problems. The gamebot is situated near a coffee bar on the third floor of CMU’s Gates and Hillman centers, a popular student hangout. People converse with Victor using keyboards. Victor has a voice to address his opponents. Victor has no arms, but is able to electronically move his tiles people move their virtual tiles with their fingers. He is seated at one end of a table-size touchscreen on which the SCRABBLE board and virtual tiles are displayed three seats are available for human players. Victor’s torso is topped with a mobile head on which a video screen displays his animated face, designed by Anne Mundell, associate professor of scene design. The research team includes collaborators from such varied disciplines as robotics, computer science, drama, design and entertainment technology. The researchers are investigating such questions as whether changes in mood or emotions affect the desire to interact with robots and how personalization, such as the robot remembering a person’s play from previous games, might affect the willingness to interact over time. “We believe that for autonomous robots to be accepted, they will have to conform to the social conventions of people, rather than the other way around,” Simmons said.

With Victor, Simmons and fellow researchers hope to better understand what it takes to get people to not only engage with a robot, but to enjoy doing it.

#Scrabble play against computer vs human series

Developed under the direction of Reid Simmons, research professor in CMU’s Robotics Institute, Victor the Gamebot is the latest in a series of “social robots” that anticipate the day when people and robots will interact routinely in workplaces, retail centers and even homes. You can call him a gamebot, but don’t use it in a game - that word is not in the official SCRABBLE dictionary.

He’s ready with a taunt - “Is that all you’ve got?” - as well as a brag - “This one is going to be good.” And he has plenty of excuses - “Dude, I let you win.” Seated in a corner of a student lounge in Carnegie Mellon University’s computer science building, Victor plays anyone who pulls up a stool. MaPress Release: Carnegie Mellon Robot Invites Humans To Play Mean Game of SCRABBLE Researchers Use Victor the Gamebot To Understand How People and Robots InteractĬontact: Byron Spice / 41 / is obsessed with SCRABBLE.