Autonomous social-environment robot hardware (BDX-droid-class).
An interactive autonomous robot is configured for deployment within a social environment. The disclosed robot includes a show subsystem configured to select between different in-character behaviors depending on robot status, thereby allowing the robot to appear in-character despite technical failures. The disclosed robot further includes a safety subsystem configured to intervene with in-character behavior when necessary to enforce safety protocols. The disclosed robot is also configured with a social subsystem that interprets social behaviors of humans and then initiates specific behavior sequences in response.
BACKGROUND Field of the Various Embodiments (1) The various embodiments relate generally to robotics, and, more specifically, to an interactive autonomous robot configured for deployment within a social environment. Description of the Related Art (2) A typical theme park provides guests with access to a variety of different types of attractions. For example, a given theme park could include rides, carnival games, scheduled performances, interactive experiences with theme park characters, water play areas, video game arcades, and so forth. Each of these different attractions generally includes thematic elements that relate in some way to one or more overarching themes associated with the park as a whole. For example, a theme park associated with a specific group of movies could include theme park characters derived from characters found in one or more of those movies. (3) Theme park characters can be implemented using several different approaches, including, for example, pre-programmed stationary animatronics or mobile robots controlled remotely. With any of these approaches, the fundamental goal of theme park characters is to provide guests with personalized, interactive, character-to-guest experiences. Such experiences are important from a guest satisfaction perspective because character-to-guest experiences enhance guest immersion within the overarching theme(s) of the theme park. For example, most children would be exceedingly happy to interact with a theme park character
1. A computer-implemented method that causes a robot to enact a performance, the method comprising: determining an initial set of operations that the robot should execute to enact a first performance, wherein each operation included in the initial set of operations is derived from a different in-character behavior associated with a first character; determining a first degree to which a first subsystem included in a plurality of subsystems included in the robot is available when the robot enacts the first performance; determining, based on the first degree and a dependency between the first subsystem and at least one operation that is included in the initial set of operations and that is associated with a first movement or in-character behavior associated with the first character, a metric indicating a second degree to which the robot can perform the at least one operation; determining that the metric meets a threshold criterion; in response to the metric meeting the threshold criterion, removing the at least one operation from the initial set of operations to generate a remaining set of available operations for enacting the first performance, wherein the remaining set of available operations maintains a plurality of in-character behaviors such that the robot appears in-character while enacting the first performance even after the at least one operation has been removed; determining a first operation included in the remaining set of available operations that the robot should execute; and causing the robot to execute the first operation. ||
9. A robot system configured to enact a performance, including: one or more memories storing at least one software module; and one or more processors that, upon executing the at least one software module, are configured to perform the steps of: determining an initial set of operations that the robot should execute to enact a first performance, wherein each operation included in the initial set of operations is derived from a different in-character behavior associated with a first character, determining a first degree to which a first subsystem included in a plurality of subsystems included in the robot is available when the robot enacts the first performance, determining, based on the first degree and a dependency between the first subsystem and at least one operation that is included in the initial set of operations and that is associated with a first movement or in-character behavior associated with the first character, a metric indicating a second degree to which the robot can perform the at least one operation, determining that the metric meets a threshold criterion, in response to the metric meeting the threshold criterion, removing the at least one operation from the initial set of operations to generate a remaining set of available operations for enacting the first performance, wherein the remaining set of available operations maintains a plurality of in-character behaviors such that the robot appears in-character while enacting the first performance even after the at least one operation has been removed, determining a first operation included in the remaining set of available operations that the robot should execute, and causing the robot to execute the first operation. ||
18. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media that, when executed by one or more processors, causes a robot to enact a performance by performing the steps of: determining an initial set of operations that the robot should execute to enact a first performance, wherein each operation included in the initial set of operations is derived from a different in-character behavior associated with a first character; determining a first degree to which a first subsystem included in a plurality of subsystems included in the robot is available when the robot enacts the first performance; determining, based on the first degree and a dependency between the first subsystem and at least one operation that is included in the initial set of operations and that is associated with a first movement or in-character behavior associated with the first character, a metric indicating a second degree to which the robot can perform the at least one operation; determining that the metric meets a threshold criterion; in response to the metric meeting the threshold criterion, removing at least one operation from the initial set of operations to generate a remaining set of available operations for enacting the first performance, wherein the remaining set of available operations maintains a plurality of in-character behaviors such that the robot appears in-character while enacting the first performance even after the at least one operation has been removed; determining a first operation included in the remaining set of available operations that the robot should execute; and causing the robot to execute the first operation.