Getting a Laugh
Expressing humor is a key part of being human.
Humor could be defined as the art of being funny, or the ability to find something funny; it is a two-way thing. It is full of subtle nuances and relies on correct social interpretation and interaction – and it is innately human.
Two not-so-serious examples of humorous robot
NAO
When robot Nao laughs, he does so with his whole body: slapping his knees and shaking his head. But the adorable android, made by SoftBank Robotics, is not merely good at expressing mirth; he can correctly identify as much as 65 percent of happy laughter outbursts in humans, according to a study presented in 2015 at a nonverbal language workshop in the Netherlands.
Robothespian
Robot comedy is a whole new genre. Following on from the Star Wars and Microsoft references, there’s a nod to Apple: “I once dated a MacBook. It didn’t work because she was all ‘i, i, i’.” But I find the robot funniest when he plays on our assumption that robots should be overly literal. “You know what really pushes my buttons?” says Robothespian. “That guy that’s in control of me,” pointing to a man sitting with a laptop at the back of the stage. “You know what really turns me on? It’s that guy again.”
However, Robothespian has no way of making up a reply on the fly, as everything he says is completely scripted.
There’s NO humor in expressing HUMOR
Humor is difficult enough for humans so the challenge is great when attempting to transfer these abilities to robots.
Engaging in any form of humor requires a lot of real-time thinking, identifying and reacting to social nuances, and a certain degree of empathy in order to understand when to deliver the line and to predict how it will be received.
Welcome to my Artificial Creature portfolio.