Japanese scientists from Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST) have created a small robotic friend for gamers. The machine can manipulate the gamepad, playing both alongside and against the person. The test results of the device were presented at the 11th annual international fair. conferences Human-Agent Interaction 2023 (HAI23).
According to the authors of the development, the robot not only accompanies the player, but also maintains active communication with him, reacting to what is happening on the screen. Thus, the electronic friend contributes to the socialization of gamers, many of whom have difficulty communicating with other people.
The system works on the basis of artificial intelligence (AI), a large language model reminiscent of ChatGPT and its analogues. It learns through communication and can adjust the difficulty level to make it interesting for one person to play against a droid partner.
To evaluate the potential of the robotic system, scientists from NAIST tested the system in an experiment involving 30 people. Volunteers were asked to play the same video game alone and with a robot, and then share their impressions via a survey. According to the survey, the majority of participants stated that playing with the robot was more enjoyable than playing alone.
This highlights the promise of a companion robot that will entertain users and enhance their experience, the researchers said.
Formerly Samsung presented a round robot assistant that guards the house and replaces the projector.