A Smart Object is an object that can describe its own possible interactions. The opposite approach to Smart Objects are 'plain' objects that do not provide this information. The additional information provided by this concept enables far more general interaction schemes, and can greatly simplify the planner of an artificial intelligence agent.
Information that is provided by a Smart Object includes:
- Object properties: physical properties and a text description
- Interaction information: position of handles, buttons, grips, ...
- Object behavior: different behaviors based on state variables
- Agent behaviors: description of the behavior an agent should follow when using the object
Most versions of smart objects also include animation information in the object information, however this is not an efficient approach, as this may make objects innapropriately oversized.
Famous quotes containing the words smart and/or objects:
“Angel: Even elephants are afraid of me.
Brad: They’re smart animals. Women are poison.
Angel: But it’s a wonderful death.”
—Fredric M. Frank (1911–1977)
“Little minds mistake little objects for great ones, and lavish away upon the former that time and attention which only the latter deserve. To such mistakes we owe the numerous and frivolous tribe of insect-mongers, shell-mongers, and pursuers and driers of butterflies, etc. The strong mind distinguishes, not only between the useful and the useless, but likewise between the useful and the curious.”
—Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl Chesterfield (1694–1773)