author: Bart Swiatek
Sony Patents Robo-companion for Lonely Gamers
Sony has patented a robot to act as a companion for the gamers. The device is to be able to sense the user's emotions and respond to their sadness or joy.
IN A NUTSHELL:
- Sony has registered a patent describing a robot acting as a companion for gamers;
- The device is supposed to sense the user's emotions and respond to them properly;
- One of the goals is to increase motivation to play.
Sony seems to be working on a rather peculiar project - a robot to observe and respond to player's behavior, encouraging them to play more (the feeling of being observed is said to have a positive effect on player's motivation). The source of information is a patent registered by the company in the American Patent Office.
"The inventor has focused on possibility of utilizing a robot as a joint viewing player who experiences sympathy with a user. For example, it is expected that the user's affinity with the robot is increased and motivation for playing a game is enhanced by the robot viewing the game play next to the user and being pleased or sad together with the user," reads the description.
In the documentation we will also find images illustrating the operation of the device, which look quite... just, see for yourselves.
The device is supposed to be equipped with a "feeling deduction unit", which, one has to admit, sounds extremely strange and disturbing. It is worth noting that Sony has been interested in robotics for a long time - it is enough to mention the cyberdog Aibo, which was famous a few years ago. Of course, there is no certainty that this strange device will ever be built - many patents present products that have never seen the light of day.