本集內容

How to make robots more likeable? 如何讓機器人更招人喜愛？

學習要點

有關 “behaviour（行為）” 的詞匯

邊看邊答

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

文字稿

How do you make a robot likeable?

怎樣才能讓機器人討人喜歡？

It's a simple enough question…

這個問題并不難。

… but it needs complex science to find an answer.

但需要復雜的科學手段才能找到答案。

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.

英國赫特福德郡大學的科學家讓志愿者和這個簡單的反應型機器人玩耍。然后，他們給同一個機器人編入算法，讓它更有趣、更有好奇心，然后對比人們對兩種機器人的看法。

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.

馬科斯·舒納曼博士       赫特福德郡大學 BotsandUs 項目
“在對比了與反應型機器人及與好奇型機器人進行互動的人之后，我們發現，人們覺得這個機器人更善于交際。我們因此得知，如果給機器人加入這種元素，人們就會更喜歡它，更容易接受它，也更樂于讓機器人待在他們身邊。”

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

這是第一步，但該團隊表示，要想讓機器人住在家中，可能還需要幾十年的時間。

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.

丹尼爾·波蘭尼       赫特福德郡大學人工智能教授
“家可能是你能想象得到的最復雜的環境，因為它沒有條理、難以預料。家中事事可變，而且有許多不可控的參與者。在公司里，你可以規定物品該如何擺放，人們能在哪里走動。但在家中卻做不到這一點。”

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

理查德·韋斯科特       BBC通訊員
“對于機器人可以打敗世界上任何棋手，卻不會打掃書架這事，我覺得很有意思。”

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

丹尼爾·波蘭尼       赫特福德郡大學人工智能教授
“是啊。”

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.

因此，要在家中見到活靈活現的 BB-8，可能還得等幾年，但了解人們接受什么是設計可愛居家伙伴的第一步。

詞匯

playful 有趣的，愛玩的

curious 好奇的

sociable 善交際的，友好的

interact 互動

accept 接受

問題答案

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