How do you make a robot likeable?

怎样才能让机器人讨人喜欢？

It's a simple enough question…

这个问题并不难。

… but it needs complex science to find an answer.

但需要复杂的科学手段才能找到答案。

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.

英国赫特福德郡大学的科学家让志愿者和这个简单的反应型机器人玩耍。然后，他们给同一个机器人编入算法，让它更有趣、更有好奇心，然后对比人们对两种机器人的看法。

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.

马科斯·舒纳曼博士       赫特福德郡大学 BotsandUs 项目

“在对比了与反应型机器人及与好奇型机器人进行互动的人之后，我们发现，人们觉得这个机器人更善于交际。我们因此得知，如果给机器人加入这种元素，人们就会更喜欢它，更容易接受它，也更乐于让机器人待在他们身边。”

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

这是第一步，但该团队表示，要想让机器人住在家中，可能还需要几十年的时间。

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.

丹尼尔·波兰尼       赫特福德郡大学人工智能教授

“家可能是你能想象得到的最复杂的环境，因为它没有条理、难以预料。家中事事可变，而且有许多不可控的参与者。在公司里，你可以规定物品该如何摆放，人们能在哪里走动。但在家中却做不到这一点。”

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·韦斯科特       BBC通讯员

“对于机器人可以打败世界上任何棋手，却不会打扫书架这事，我觉得很有意思。”

Daniel Polani, Professor of AI, University of Hertfordshire

Yes.

丹尼尔·波兰尼       赫特福德郡大学人工智能教授

“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，要在家中见到活灵活现的 BB-8，可能还得等几年，但了解人们接受什么是设计可爱居家伙伴的第一步。