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The story…

How to make people like robots

Learn language related to…

behaviour

Need-to-know language…

playful – enjoys doing things for fun and not with a serious purpose

curious – keen to know or learn something new

sociable – friendly, willing to talk or engage with people

interact – engage with something expecting a reaction

accept – consider something normal

Answer this…

Why might it be decades before people share their homes with robots?

Transcript

Come on, wake up, BB-8. Come on.

How do you make a robot likeable?

Oh sorry, sorry, sorry.

It's a simple enough question…

You're just being grumpy now.

… but it needs complex science to find an answer.

Scientists at the University of Hertfordshire [UK] asked volunteers to play with the simple reactive robot. The same robot was then programmed with an algorithm to make it playful and curious, and they compared what people thought.

Dr Marcus Scheunemann, University of Hertfordshire, BotsandUs
Comparing it with humans who interact with the reactive robot and this curious robot, we know now that we find this robot more sociable, right? And from here we know. OK, if we have this element in a robot, people might be just more likeable towards [more comfortable with] this robot, more receptive, more happy [happier] that it is around them.

It's a first step but the team says it could still be decades before you've got a robot sharing your home.

Daniel Polani, Professor of AI, University of Hertfordshire
It's probably the hardest environment you can imagine, because it's so unstructured, unpredictable. It can change and there are many actors in it which you can't regulate. So, in a company you could make rules about how things are placed and where people can go. You can't do that in a household.

Richard Westcott, BBC reporter
I do love the idea that a robot could beat anyone in the world at chess, but it can't clean the shelf.

Daniel Polani, Professor of AI, University of Hertfordshire
Yes.

So, a real BB-8 is years off, but learning what people will accept is the first step to designing a likeable companion for your house.

Dr Marcus Scheunemann, University of Hertfordshire, BotsandUs
So yes - it's hiding!

Did you get it?

Why might it be decades before people share their homes with robots?

The environment in the home is difficult for a robot as it is unstructured and unpredictable.

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