Virtual prototyping of a robotic chess player for play therapy

We designed a robot capable of challenging an opponent on a board game for rehabilitation purposes, with the aim to keep the patient busy during rehabilitation hours while allowing them to learn or improve mobility and strategic skills using a recreational game. To maximize the effectiveness of the therapy, the user experience must be as close as possible to a real game (e.g., chess or draughts) with a physical opponent. For this reason, the robot has to move real pieces on a real board, mimicking the other player's role. In this preliminary study, the concept and design of the robot were performed in a simulated environment. The simulated robot is of the parallel type, having the end effector directly connected to the base through rigid structures that work in coordination. Robot Operating System (ROS) was used to develop and design the robot controller. We describe the assembly of the designed structure of the robot and the controllers for movement along the Cartesian axes. Finally, game intelligence was introduced to enable the robot to play a chess game against the user autonomously. As a result, the implemented simulated robot can conduct a game of chess: recognizing and moving the pieces within the board perimeter, while the user can interact using a graphical interface. In conclusion, we have implemented the simulated version of an autonomous robotic board game that could be translated into a physical system able to engage the user for rehabilitation purposes.