Bachelor PsychoBiology

Course Behavior-Based Robotics

This is the information of Winter 2016-2017

The course was first given in the academic year 2015-2016. The current course can be found here.

This course gives an introduction to the principles, design and practice of intelligent behavior-based autonomous robot systems. Following a discussion of the relevant biological and psychological models of behavior, reactive behaviors are used as building blocks for more complex behaviors. With the more advanced behaviors the robot gets animal-like capacities as survival, adaption and interaction. Building such artificial system in practice could lead to interesting questions about the unique aspects of actual biological behavior.

Learning objectives

To develop an understanding of the possible relationships between animal behavior and robot control.
To examine a wide range of biologically motivated robotic systems.
To obtain a basic understanding of the design choices related to behavior-based robotic systems.
To determine the appropriate role of world and self-knowledge within behavior-based robotic systems.
To study biological models of hybrid reactive/deliberative systems.
To explore the role of expectations, focus of attention and active perception within behavior-based perception.
To understand why robots need to have learning capabilities.
To recognize the different effects of perception and learning inside social behavior when compared to solitary robot behaviors.
To consider the consequences of a robotic mind with regard to thought, consciousness, emotion and imagination.

Practical skills

In addition to the theoretical framework, you will also develop your programming skills by implementing behaviors directly on humanoid robots. A short summary of these objectives can be found back in this Study Guide.

Schedule

Week 2: Chapter 1: Whence Behavior?
Week 2: Chapter 2: Animal behavior
Week 2: Chapter 3: Robot Behavior
Week 3: Chapter 4: Behaviour Based Architectures
Week 3: Chapter 5: Representations and Memory
Week 3: Chapter 6: Hybrid Deliberation and Reactivity
Week 3: Chapter 7: Perception Systems (Part 1)
Week 4: Chapter 7: Perception Systems (Part 2)
Week 4: Chapter 8: Adaptive Behavior
Week 4: Chapter 9: Social Behavior
Week 4: Chapter 10: Beyond Behavior

Literature

Ronald C. Arkin 'Behavior-Based Robotics', The MIT Press, 1998.

Additional Reading

Francois Michaud and Monica Nicolescu, 'Behavior-Based Systems', Springer Handbook of Robotics, 2016, pp 307-328.
Fumiya Iida and Auke Jan Ijspeert, 'Biologically Inspired Robots', Springer Handbook of Robotics, 2016, pp 2015-2034.
Patrick van der Smagt, Michael A. Arbib, Giorgio Metta, 'Neurorobotics: From Vision to Action', Springer Handbook of Robotics, 2016, pp. 2069-2094.
Gianmarco Veruggio, Fiorella Operto and George Bekey, 'Roboethics: Social and Ethical Implications', Springer Handbook of Robotics, 2016, pp. 2135-2160.

Reading guide

Sunday January 8th: page 121
Sunday January 15th: page 265
Sunday January 22th: page 443
Tuesday January 24th: page 307-328 of 'Behavior-Based Systems'

Exam

Wednesday December 16th
Practice exam North-Western University, December 6, 2002.
Practice exam North-Western University, November 11, 2002.

Evaluation

The course is this year evaluated by the participants with a 6.4:
.

Course Behavior-Based Robotics