During 2011 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation researchers from Technical University of Munich presented a dual-armed robot capable of playing pool on a normal sized pool table.
The complete system consists of a pool table and a humanoid robot with two antropomorphic arms on a mobile platform. For successfully building this robot, its creators had to integrate modules of perception of relevant environment information, planning of actions and an efficient execution of strokes. An optimization algorithm implemented in the arm configuration improves the stroke speed. Due to cameras mounted above the table, robot is able to accurately locate the pool table, the balls on the table and the cue. There is also a module responsible for subsequently planning the next shot. To prove its skills, the robot completed 400 shots with an 80% success rate.
This robot is not selfish at all! A projector installed above the table enables humans to play computer-assisted pool as well. Cameras above the table track the position of the balls and cue, and display that information on the table by the use of the projector. All that human player has to do, is to decide on the best move and sink the ball with an intuitively human stroke speed.
If a dual-armed robot is capable of playing pool, why not to equip a conversational agent with humanoid robotic body being capable of exhibiting nonverbal communication? Cameras used to track balls movements could track conversational agent interlocutor’s gestures and body movement. Planning module of such a robot could analyse the interlocutor’s mood and adapt to it subsequently. That’s a new challenge for researchers!
