Slot Machines and Slot Attention

A slot is an architectural component that interfaces with perceptual representations, such as output from a convolutional neural network. Slots produce a set of task-dependent abstract representations that are exchangeable and can bind to any object in the input. This is a significant difference from capsules used in Capsule Networks, which can only bind to a limited subset of objects, which can lead to over-specialization. The use of slots allows Slot Attention to generalize in a systematic way to unseen compositions, more objects and even more complex operations.

On a modern slot machine, the probability that a particular symbol will appear on a pay line is determined by microprocessors inside the machines. This means that a winning combination can appear on multiple reels, even if the symbols are not in exact order, and each spin of the reel is independent of any previous spins. Modern slot designers can also let their imaginations run wild and create creative bonus events, such as the mystery chase through a Crime Zone in NetEnt’s Cash Noire or the outer-space cluster payoffs that replace the traditional paylines in ReelPlay’s Cosmic Convoy.

A graphical display on the front of a slot machine that shows the current state of the machine, including the number of credits in the credit meter and which symbols are active on the pay line. Depending on the machine, the player may be able to add more credits by pressing a button or, in “ticket-in, ticket-out” machines, inserting a paper ticket with a barcode. The total credit meter at the end of play determines the player’s score for that round.