Human-Robot Interaction on the UR12e – Tic-Tac-Toe as an Interactive Demo

June 2026 Bachelorarbeit, Projektarbeit

UR robot arm playing against a human — Tic-Tac-Toe today, chess as an outlook

Abstract

A UR12e robot arm from Universal Robots is available at the TTZ Nürnberger Land and is ideally suited for exploring and demonstrating human-robot interaction (HRI). The goal of this project thesis is to use this existing robot arm to realise a game-based interaction in which human and robot play Tic-Tac-Toe against each other.

The robot is to capture the game state via a camera, compute its next move and place its pieces on the board autonomously and safely. The focus is on a robust interaction that is intuitive for non-experts: visitors should be able to play against the arm without any prior knowledge. The finished demo will then be used to present robotics in a tangible and approachable way at family events, open-house days or for visitor groups.

On the software side, the work involves image processing to detect the board and the game pieces, a simple game logic (e.g. minimax) and control of the UR12e via its existing interfaces (e.g. ROS or URScript). Particular attention is paid to functional safety in collaborative operation, so that safe play right next to a person is possible.

If the demo proves convincing, the system can be conceptually extended to more demanding games such as chess — involving more complex perception, grasping tasks and game logic. The thesis therefore also serves as a foundation for subsequent follow-up projects.

Type

Thesis

Publication

Project or Bachelor’s Thesis, TH Nürnberg — TTZ Nürnberger Land

Motivation

Collaborative robot arms such as the UR12e make robotics immediately tangible — especially when people can interact with them directly. A game like Tic-Tac-Toe is ideal for this: everyone knows the rules, the outcome is easy to follow, and the robot demonstrates perception, decision-making and precise motion in a single, illustrative sequence.

At the TTZ Nürnberger Land, this is to become the basis for a demonstrator that makes robotics graspable for a broad audience — at family events, open-house days and for visitor groups. At the same time, the project serves as a platform to put concepts of safe human-robot interaction into practice.

Work Packages

Perception

Camera-based detection of the board and the placed game pieces
Calibration between camera and robot coordinate frames (hand-eye calibration)

Game Logic

Implementation of the Tic-Tac-Toe logic (e.g. minimax) for move computation
Detection of game end, win, loss and draw

Robot Control

Control of the UR12e via its existing interfaces (ROS or URScript)
Grasping and safely placing the game pieces
Functional safety in collaborative operation (force/speed limiting)

Interaction & Demo

Intuitive game flow and user guidance understandable for non-experts
Robustness testing and preparation as a presentable demo
Optional outlook: conceptual extension to chess

Requirements

Programming skills in Python and/or C++
Ideally some prior exposure to robotics
Interest in computer vision, game logic and human-robot interaction
Enthusiasm for hands-on work with real robot hardware

This topic is offered as a project or bachelor’s thesis and, given a good fit, can serve as a foundation for follow-up work (e.g. extension to chess).

Supervision

Role	Name	E-Mail
Supervisor	Prof. Dr. Christian Pfitzner	christian.pfitzner@th-nuernberg.de
Co-Supervisor	M. Sc. Patrick Fußy	patrick.fussy@th-nuernberg.de

Location: TTZ Nürnberger Land / TH Nürnberg Georg Simon Ohm

Robotics Human-Robot Interaction UR12e Universal Robots Cobot Computer Vision ROS Tic-Tac-Toe Chess TTZ Nürnberger Land Demonstrator Bachelorarbeit Projektarbeit