"Socially aware" robot learns how to be polite

There’s a robot roaming around the Stanford campus, but instead of taking orders from students, this machine is busy studying them.

Like many students at Stanford, “Jackrabbot” gets around on wheels, too. While students here pursue their studies, Jackrabbot studies them.

“This is Jackrabbot, a socially aware robot,” explained Stanford Research Scientist Alexandre Alahi.

Equipped with sensors and cameras, Jackrabbot roams around Stanford, picking up cues about human behavior and learning how to be polite.