Biomimetic Neural Learning For Intelligent Robots

This state-of-the-art survey contains selected papers contributed by researchers in intelligent systems, cognitive robotics, and neuroscience including contributions from the MirrorBot project and from the NeuroBotics Workshop 2004. The research work presented demonstrates significant novel developments in biologically inspired neural models for use in intelligent robot environments and biomimetic cognitive behavior.

Neuromorphic and brain-based robotics have enormous potential for furthering our understanding of the brain. By embodying models of the brain on robotic platforms, researchers can investigate the roots of biological intelligence and work towards the development of truly intelligent machines. This book provides a broad introduction to this groundbreaking area for researchers from a wide range of fields, from engineering to neuroscience. Case studies explore how robots are being used in current research, including a whisker system that allows a robot to sense its environment and neurally inspired navigation systems that show impressive mapping results. Looking to the future, several chapters consider the development of cognitive, or even conscious robots that display the adaptability and intelligence of biological organisms. Finally, the ethical implications of intelligent robots are explored, from morality and Asimov's three laws to the question of whether robots have rights.

The multidisciplinary issues involved in the development of biologically inspired intelligent robots include materials, actuators, sensors, structures, functionality, control, intelligence, and autonomy. This book reviews various aspects ranging from the biological model to the vision for the future.

An overview of neurotechnology, the engineering of robots based on animals and animal behavior. The goal of neurotechnology is to confer the performance advantages of animal systems on robotic machines. Biomimetic robots differ from traditional robots in that they are agile, relatively cheap, and able to deal with real-world environments. The engineering of these robots requires a thorough understanding of the biological systems on which they are based, at both the biomechanical and physiological levels.This book provides an in-depth overview of the field. The areas covered include myomorphic actuators, which mimic muscle action; neuromorphic sensors, which, like animal sensors, represent sensory modalities such as light, pressure, and motion in a labeled-line code; biomimetic controllers, based on the relatively simple control systems of invertebrate animals; and the autonomous behaviors that are based on an animal's selection of behaviors from a species-specific behavioral "library." The ultimate goal is to develop a truly autonomous robot, one able to navigate and interact with its environment solely on the basis of sensory feedback without prompting from a human operator.

Biomimetic research is an emerging field that aims to draw inspiration and substances from natural sources and create biological systems in structure, mechanism, and function through robotics. The products have a wide array of application including surgical robots, prosthetics, neurosurgery, and biomedical image analysis. The Handbook of Research on Biomimetics and Biomedical Robotics provides emerging research on robotics, mechatronics, and the application of biomimetic design. While highlighting mechatronical challenges in today’s society, readers will find new opportunities and innovations in design capabilities in intelligent robotics and interdisciplinary biomedical products. This publication is a vital resource for senior and graduate students, researchers, and scientists in engineering seeking current research on best ways to globally expand online higher education.

An introduction to how neuroethology can inform the development of robots controlled by synaptic networks instead of algorithms, from a pioneer in biorobotics. The trait most fundamental to the evolution of animals is the capability to adapt to novel circumstances in unpredictable environments. Recent advances in biomimetics have made it feasible to construct robots modeled on such unsupervised autonomous behavior, and animal models provide a library of existence proofs. Filling an important gap in the field, this introductory textbook illuminates how neurobiological principles can inform the development of robots that are controlled by synaptic networks, as opposed to algorithms. Joseph Ayers provides a comprehensive overview of the sensory and motor systems of a variety of model biological systems and shows how their behaviors may be implemented in artificial systems, such as biomimetic robots. Introduces the concept of biological intelligence as applied to robots, building a strategy for autonomy based on the neuroethology of simple animal models Provides a mechanistic physiological framework for the control of innate behavior Illustrates how biomimetic vehicles can be operated in the field persistently and adaptively Developed by a pioneer in biorobotics with decades of teaching experience Proven in the classroom Suitable for professionals and researchers as well as undergraduate and graduate students in cognitive science and computer science

Nature has always been an inspiration to humans in terms of using minimum resources to produce maximum results, and in its ability to allow organisms to operate and fit the required environment. There are a number of challenges for humans attempting to mimic nature in this regard given the endless possibilities, such as in using techno-biomimetic devices, fully-grown intelligent robots, autonomous systems and vehicles, molecular computers and nanotechnological materials, which are currently being are developed. This book investigates the various advantages, challenges and limitations of data science and artificial intelligence in techno-biomimetic systems.