Robot computer chess game

In a computer controlled chess game having a housing member, a chess board, chess pieces, a computer processing circuit, a memory unit, a robot arm movably mounted adjacent the chess board, means for grasping and releasing a chess piece, and means for determining the current position of the robot arm, the improvement comprising:

• means for providing an indication of a suggested move from the computer processing circuit as a response for a human player;
• means for driving the robot arm from its current position to a start position over the chess piece that is suggested to be moved;
• means for lowering and raising the robot arm towards and from the designated chess piece without moving the same;
• means to subsequently drive the robot arm to the designated end suggested rest position of the designated chess piece, and
• means for lowering and raising the robot arm towards and from the designated rest position without disturbing the current chess piece, if any, occupying the designated end rest position.

In a computer controlled chess game having a housing member, a chess board, chess pieces, a computer processing circuit, a memory unit, a robot arm movably mounted adjacent the chess board, means for grasping and releasing a chess piece, and means for determining the current position of the robot arm, a keyboard for inputing signals to the computer processing circuit including the desired level of skill to be implemented in searching the memory unit during a chess game, the improvement comprising:

• an indexed portion of the housing member surface divided into discrete segments representative of incremental skill levels;
• means for driving the robot arm from its current position to a start position above the indexed discrete segments;
• means for driving the robot arm to scan sequentially each discrete segment;
• means for lowering and raising the robot arm towards and from a discrete segment;
• and
• means for activating the desired skill level indicated by the robot arm.

In a computer controlled chess game having a housing member, a chess board, chess pieces, a computer processing circuit, a memory unit, a robot arm movably mounted adjacent the chess board, and means on the robot arm for grasping and releasing a chess piece, the improvement comprising:

• a switch member positioned beneath each chess square to indicate the presence of a chess piece;
• magnetic means for actuating the switch member and for further spatially positioning a chess piece at a predetermined location on each chess square to ensure alignment for coaction with the grasping and releasing means, the robot arm being articulated into at least two portions;
• means for coordinating the relative movement of each articulated portion of the robot arm to ensure that the relative movement starts and stops at approximately the same time;
• a first motor to rotate the entire articulated robot arm;
• first monitor means to determine the amount of movement of the entire robot arm;
• a second motor to rotate the articulated portion attached to the means for grasping and releasing;
• second monitor means to determine the amount of movement of the articulated portion, and
• control means connected to the first and second motor and the first and second monitor means for driving the entire robot arm and the relatively movable articulated portion at respective rates of velocity to ensure both movements are halted at the same time above predetermined chess piece locations.

In a computer controlled chess game having a housing member, a chess board, chess pieces, a computer processing circuit, a memory unit, a robot arm movably mounted adjacent the chess board, and means on the robot arm for grasping and releasing a chess piece, the improvement comprising:

• a switch member positioned beneath each chess square to indicate the presence of a chess piece;
• magnetic means for actuating the switch member and for further spatially positioning a chess piece at a predetermined location on each chess square to ensure alignment for coaction with the grasping and releasing means;
• driving means for operatively moving the robot arm across the chess board;
• means for determining the current position of the robot arm;
• means for determining the desired final position of the robot arm in accordance with the desired implementation of the chess game;
• means for plotting the shortest path of movement of the robot arm from its current position to the desired final position for execution by the driving means;
• means for determining the existence of a predetermined event of particular significance in the playing of a chess game and producing a corresponding event signal, and
• means for altering the execution by the driving means of the plotted shortest path of movement between the current position and final position to impose a relatively deviant movement to indicate a manifestation of physical movement by the robot arm corresponding to an emotional response to the predetermined event in response to the event signal.

In a computer controlled chess game having a housing member, a chess board, chess pieces, a computer processing circuit, a memory unit, a robot arm movably mounted adjacent the chess board, and means on the robot arm for grasping and releasing a chess piece, the improvement comprising:

• a switch member positioned beneath each chess square to indicate the presence of a chess piece;
• magnetic means for actuating the switch member and for further spatially positioning a chess piece at a predetermined location on each chess square to ensure alignment for coaction with the grasping and releasing means;
• means for providing an indication of a suggested move from the computer processing circuit as a response for a human player;
• means for driving the robot arm from its current position to a start position over the chess piece that is suggested to be moved;
• means for lowering and raising the robot arm towards and from the designated chess piece without moving the same;
• means to subsequently drive the robot arm to the designated end suggested rest position of the designated chess piece, and
• means for lowering and raising the robot arm towards and from the designated rest position without disturbing the current chess piece, if any, occupying the designated end rest position.

In a computer controlled chess game having a housing member, a chess board, chess pieces, a computer processing circuit, a memory unit, a robot arm movably mounted adjacent the chess board, and means on the robot arm for grasping and releasing a chess piece, the improvement comprising:

• a switch member positioned beneath each chess square to indicate the presence of a chess piece;
• magnetic means for actuating the switch member and for further spatially positioning a chess piece at a predetermined location on each chess square to ensure alignment for coaction with the grasping and releasing means;
• means for determining the current position of the robot arm;
• a keyboard for inputting signals to the computer processing circuit including the desired level of skill to be implemented in searching the memory unit during a chess game;
• an indexed portion of the housing member surface divided into discrete segments representative of incremental skill levels;
• means for driving the robot arm from its current position to a start position above the indexed discrete segments;
• means for driving the robot arm to scan sequentially each discrete segment;
• means for lowering and raising the robot arm towards and from a discrete segment, and
• means for activating the desired skill level indicated by the robot arm.