Robot and Chatbot Programming Basics (5 cr)

Learning outcomes

Students can:
- understand the capabilities of service robots and chatbots
- build a dialogue flow on bots
- understand the human robot interaction
- program animations and dialogues on service robots

Location and time

Check Pakki.

Materials

Chatbots:
1) Janarthanam, S. (2017). Hands-on chatbots and conversational UI development: Build chatbots and voice user interfaces with Chatfuel, Dialogflow, Microsoft Bot Framework, Twilio, and Alexa Skills. Packt Publishing. https://laurea.finna.fi/Record/nelli01.4100000002045823 (Dialogflow: pages 111-147)
2) https://dialogflow.com/
Service Robots (Pepper):
1) Choreographe: http://doc.aldebaran.com/2-4/software/choregraphe/index.html
Human Robot Interaction:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0018720816644364

Teaching methods

Digitalization, automation, IoT, and robotics and artificial intelligence are changing the world more than an industrial revolution. Automation and robotics have become more common in industry since decades ago, but the actual upheaval and exponential growth will take place in service industries, for example, as service robots become more common. Automation and the use of robots enhance the company's operations and the added value that the customer receives, as the robots perform tasks much faster and more accurately and more safely. With digitalization, companies have the opportunity to both improve and streamline their own processes and to create completely new types of digital services and a completely new kind of business.
Purpose of this study unit is to introduce the basics of today’s chatbot and service robot possibilities to non-technical students. Students work on authentic business cases: customer or RDI projects. Students make real experiments with (ro)bots, either for R&D or for customer project purposes. The potential applications of bots are numerous, e.g. customer service, event marketing, healthcare, safety and guidance, etc. Students can explore different use cases in their project works. Service robots become more and more common in the future. In this study unit and authentic business cases, students have the opportunity to understand and learn capabilities of service robots and how to use service robots in different contexts and business environments. Service Robot, “Pepper” potential is enormous. Pepper has already been utilized in different cases, for example: customer service, elderly care and content marketing.
Our business partners (companies and RDI projects) of this course have the real need and desire to utilize chatbots and robotics. Projects on this course may teach more about the future than any other course you have taken before.

Employer connections

The real-life projects will be introduced or RDI -projects created at beginning of the study unit.

Exam schedules

Check Pakki.

International connections

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Completion alternatives

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Student workload

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Assessment criteria, approved/failed

Student successfully implements the chosen chatbot or service robot -dialogue and demonstrates it in practice. Student demonstrates the customer understanding, ability to scope a technical project and perform as part of team.
Students document their projects on video presentations, published on social media, (if not restrictions from customers).

Content scheduling

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Evaluation scale

Approved/Failed

Further information

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