Simple or complex bodies? Trade-offs in exploiting body morphology for control
Hoffmann M, Müller VC (2017)
Publication Type: Book chapter / Article in edited volumes
Publication year: 2017
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Edited Volumes: Representation and Reality in Humans, Other Living Organisms and Intelligent Machines
Series: Studies in Applied Philosophy, Epistemology and Rational Ethics
Book Volume: 28
Pages Range: 335-345
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-43784-2_17
Abstract
Engineers fine-tune the design of robot bodies for control purposes; however, a methodology or set of tools is largely absent, and optimization of morphology (shape, material properties of robot bodies, etc.) is lagging behind the development of controllers. This has become even more prominent with the advent of compliant, deformable or ‘soft’ bodies. These carry substantial potential regarding their exploitation for control—sometimes referred to as ‘morphological computation’. In this article, we briefly review different notions of computation by physical systems and propose the dynamical systems framework as the most useful in the context of describing and eventually designing the interactions of controllers and bodies. Then, we look at the pros and cons of simple versus complex bodies, critically reviewing the attractive notion of ‘soft’ bodies automatically taking over control tasks. We address another key dimension of the design space—whether model-based control should be used and to what extent it is feasible to develop faithful models for different morphologies.
Authors with CRIS profile
Involved external institutions
Czech Technical University in Prague / České vysoké učení technické v Praze
Czech Republic (CZ)
University of Leeds
United Kingdom (GB)
Czech Republic (CZ)
University of Leeds
United Kingdom (GB)
How to cite
APA:
Hoffmann, M., & Müller, V.C. (2017). Simple or complex bodies? Trade-offs in exploiting body morphology for control. In Gordana Dodig-Crnkovic, Raffaela Giovagnoli (Eds.), Representation and Reality in Humans, Other Living Organisms and Intelligent Machines. (pp. 335-345). Springer International Publishing.
MLA:
Hoffmann, Matej, and Vincent C. Müller. "Simple or complex bodies? Trade-offs in exploiting body morphology for control." Representation and Reality in Humans, Other Living Organisms and Intelligent Machines. Ed. Gordana Dodig-Crnkovic, Raffaela Giovagnoli, Springer International Publishing, 2017. 335-345.
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