Robogames

This research topic belongs to the Robotics research area.

Interactive games with autonomous robots are one of the most challenging robotic research issues. The robot should involve the player, both physically and behaviorally, while acting in the real world. The games we are interested in are games where robot autonomy is exploited to obtain interesting, engaging games which may be implemented with cheap technology and enter in everyone's home. Past experience of the group is related to Robocup, Edutainment, Rehabilitation. First steps in this direction have been done with our rehabilitation robot and with robots interacting with players through the remote control of a WII console ROBOWII and different sensors including cameras. We also started the implementation of Highly Interactive Competitive Robogames (HI-CoRG). We are evaluating the possibility to integrate information gathered about the emotional state of people involved in games among the information available to the game controller (in this case a robot), which should emotionally react raising the involvement in the game.

An effective robot player needs to integrate edge technologies from robotics, interaction, and psychology. An interesting hardware (body) should be integrated with the needed functionalities to become a game companion. A set of projects have been started to investigate how to design interactive games with autonomous robots.

Projects

Research lines on this topic:

• Highly Interactive Competitive Robogames

Ongoing projects on this topic:

• Pokety
• Robogame Strategy
• Temporary Unnamed Project

Past projects on this topic:

• Alien-Bot
• BasketBot
• Drone Laser Game
• FCBot
• GesturesForRoboWII
• Hide and Seek 2
• Jedi Robot Training 1.0
• Jedi Robot Training 2.0
• Jedi Robot Training 3.0
• Jedi Training Robogame
• KartBot
• King of the Hill
• Laser Game Bot
• Lupin
• POLIFemo
• Pac-Bot
• Robo-Hide-and-Hunt
• RoboGame1718-01
• RoboTower
• RoboWII1.0
• … further results

Movies of selected results

More are available from the single projects, and the project lines pages (ROBOWII, RobogameDesign, and Highly Interactive Robogames), as well as on the AIRLab channel on You Tube.

• External link

A test of the Jedi Robot Training 3.0 project. Notice that it is working outside, with confusing colors in background. The system is quite robust, and very playable. It has been tested also in public exhibitions like the 2011 Open day at Politecnico di Milano.

The result of the RoboTower project. The game is very playable, and has been tested at Robotica 2012 and 2012 Open day at Politecnico di Milano. Unexpected behaviors come from the players. Sound plays an important role.

• External link

The presentation movie for the shot'em up game RoboWII2.1

Project proposals

Wiki Page: Autistic Children Play Robot Title: Autistic Children Play Robot Description: Within a Polisocial project we will have to implement a robot suitable to play autonomously with autistic children that will interact with it and a game system by gestures. The thesis will explore some of the aspects of the problem, eventually participating to the production of prototypes to be tested with real users. The thesis gives the possibility to develop a robot with special requirements, and to work with gesture interpretation by using devices such as Kinect or the WII Mote. The work is done in an interdisciplinary group including care givers and designers. Tutor: AndreaBonarini Additional Info: CFU 20 - 20 / Master of Science / Thesis

Wiki Page: Robot Games Title: Robot Games Description: Projects may include the design of an interactive game on an existing or a new robot, and its evaluation. These projects allow to experiment with real mobile robots and interaction devices. Some games may be designed for disabled children. The project can be considered a MS thesis if it can produce a new game and, possibly, a new robot, and includes adapting the behavior of the robot to the player. Tutor: AndreaBonarini Additional Info: CFU 2 - 20 / Bachelor of Science, Master of Science / Course, Thesis