Bertsobot: The first minstrel robot

Abstract

We describe a robot capable of composing and playing traditional Basque impromptu verses -bertsoak. The system, called Bertsobot, is able to construct improvised verses according to given constraints on rhyme and meter, and to perform it in public. Towards this end, several tools and applications have been developed and integrated in Bertsobot, including: speech-based communication system, text applications for verse generation, and robot behaviours to interact with the environment in a public performance. We describe the tools and processes behind our approach, present some early experimental results and illustrative verses, and finally, remark the conclusions and future steps.

Bertsokantari: a TTS Based Singing Synthesis System

“…We are currently preparing a suitable dedicated database to improve the performance of Bertsokantari [11]. Furthermore, the final system is to be integrated with an artificial verse improvising module to build Bertsobot [28].…”

Proceedings of the 3rd Wordplay: When Language Meets Games Workshop (Wordplay 2022)

“…There have been remarkable systems for oral improvisation and poetics, including a physical robot which engages in an agonistic, improvised singing practice, bertsolaritza, that is traditional in the Basque Country. (Astigarraga et al, 2013) This "Bertsobot" does a complex sort of improvisation and is a multimodal system with an elaborate architecture, as opposed to the system we describe.…”

II. Ikergazte. Nazioarteko ikerketa euskaraz. Kongresuko artikulu bilduma. Ingeniaritza eta Arkitektura

“…Bertsolaritza ahots kantatuko genero oso espezifiko bat denez, hizketa ahotsetik gertuago dagoena beste estilo batzuek baino eta aldi berean karga espresibo garrantzitsu bat duena, interesgarria da ikerketa espezifiko bat egitea oraingo sintesi tekniken egokitasuna aztertzeko kalitate handiko bertsolari sintetiko bat diseinatzeko momentuan. Dakigunaren arabera, gai honetan ez da existitzen ikerketarik IXA eta Aholab taldeen arteko kolaborazioan egindako esperimentu pilotuez gain, BERTSOBOT (Astigarraga et al, 2013) izenez ezaguna dena sortu duen kolaborazioa. BERTSOBOTen demostrazioek interes sozial handia piztu dute eta aurrera ateratzeko hizketa ahotsei dagokien ahots parametrizatuak erabili dira ahots kantatuak sortzeko.…”