Contenu principal
Neurorobotics
Despite numerous attempts that have yielded interesting results, no current robot can emulate the cognition and behavior of simple animals, let alone of humans. This would require a brain or brain-like controller. To meet this challenge, the HBP will create a Facility for Neurorobotics. The first task of the facility will be to create closed loop systems coupling brain simulations to virtual and physical robots. The new systems will allow project scientists to study the emergence of cognition and behavior as the robots adapt to their environment.
The second task will be to design simplified versions of these systems with practical applications. Such robots will have intelligent capabilities completely lacking in current machines, in particular, the ability to form neural representations of their own bodies, and their physical and social environment. This truly embodied intelligence will allow them to interpret the actions of human beings and other machines, to pursue goals and to plan their action in real-world situations. Systems with this kind of capability will have an enormous range of applications for people on the move (as mobile personal assistants) in the home (as domestic helpers, carers, and butlers), in industry (complex manufacturing, security), and in health care (assistance for the sick and for elderly people, e-diagnosis, e-surgery).