Players of Pokémon GO turns out for years unconsciously helped train robots. The images that players made of their environment through the game were used to develop an advanced navigation system for robots.
Billions of images of players
Developer Niantic used data from Pokémon GO to create a so-called Visual Positioning System (VPS) training. That system can identify locations by simply looking at buildings, streets and objects.
According to researchers, the model was trained with more than 30 billion images which are created by players while playing the game.
These images included features where players had to scan PokéStops or other locations for in-game rewards. With all these scans, Niantic could eventually build a huge 3D map of the world.
Robots delivering pizza
The technology is now used for robots that have to navigate through cities independently. Niantic works together with robot company Coco Robotics, which develops delivery robots for food and groceries.
Thanks to the data of Pokémon GO players, these robots can determine where they are, even in places where GPS is less reliable, such as between high buildings in busy cities.
In short: while players were looking for Pikachu or Charizard, at the same time, they helped build technology that let robots find their way into the real world.
If something's free, you're the product
The situation again shows how valuable user data can be. Pokémon GO is free to play, but the data generated by players such as photos and location data can eventually also be used for other applications.
Players will not change much for the time being, but the story does show how a game that once got millions of people out eventually also plays a role in the development of robot technology.
