scholarly journals Embodied robots driven by self-organized environmental feedback

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 285-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederike Kubandt ◽  
Michael Nowak ◽  
Tim Koglin ◽  
Claudius Gros ◽  
Bulcsú Sándor

Which kind of complex behavior may arise from self-organizing principles? We investigate this question for the case of snake-like robots composed of passively coupled segments, with every segment containing two wheels actuated separately by a single neuron. The robot is self-organized both on the level of the individual wheels and with respect to inter-wheel coordination, which arises exclusively from the mechanical coupling of the individual wheels and segments. For the individual wheel, the generating principle proposed results in locomotive states that correspond to self-organized limit cycles of the sensorimotor loop. Our robot interacts with the environment by monitoring the state of its actuators, that is, via propriosensation. External sensors are absent. In a structured environment the robot shows complex emergent behavior that includes pushing movable blocks around, reversing direction when hitting a wall, and turning when climbing a slope. On flat grounds the robot wiggles in a snake-like manner, when moving at higher velocities. We also investigate the emergence of motor primitives, namely, the route to locomotion, which is characterized by a series of local and global bifurcations in terms of dynamical system theory.

2000 ◽  
Vol 661 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Bouda ◽  
J. Chladek

ABSTRACTCarbon black in a polymer melt was used to model self-organized processes. A gradual growth of ionic concentration in the polymer melt induced a complex behavior, including a rapid increase in AC conductivity after a time delay. Colloid theory can provide an effective interpretation. The metamorphoses of the carbon black assembly include soft axial order generation, soft lateral order generation, axial condensation, and lateral condensation of carbon black particles, respectively. Similar processes are expected to be effective in generating complex carbonaceous organic structures in natural water.


2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Sofia Castro-Acevedo ◽  
Luz Esperanza Bohórquez Arévalo

The hierarchical structure has been dominant in the business context because of the ease with which it exercises control and reduces the risks of the limited rationality of the individual. However, the precariousness of these structures in the processing of information has been evidenced, and by extension the difficulty to adapt to the change. These difficulties can lead organizations to business failure and chain effects that arise from it, for these reasons it is necessary to find alternative structural ways to overcome these problems. In this research, a literature review is made of the way in which the organizational structure is related to the performance of organizations from different theoretical perspectives. Subsequently, the failures of hierarchical control structures are identified, as the dominant structural form in the current economic system in terms of how they process information, learn and make decisions, and then contrast the way in which these characteristics are presented in systems self-organized natural and artificial. Because of the review of literature in natural and artificial self-organized systems, it was found that they are highly robust in the way they process information, since they manage to transform information from the environment into knowledge to make agile, fast and quality decisions. From this, it is necessary to transfer these properties of the self-organized systems to the business organizations by means of the design of structures that encourage self-organization to increase their performance and avoid the failure and chain effects that this causes. The implications of an organization of this type and the lines of research that originate from this work are also discussed.La estructura jerárquica ha sido dominante en el contexto empresarial por la facilidad que tiene para ejercer control y disminuir los riesgos de la racionalidad limitada del individuo. Sin embargo, se ha evidenciado la precariedad de estas estructuras en el procesamiento de información, y por extensión la dificultad para adaptarse al cambio. Estas dificultades pueden llevar a las organizaciones al fracaso empresarial y a los efectos en cadena que se desprenden de éste, por estas razones es necesario encontrar formas estructurales alternativas que superen estos problemas. En esta investigación se hace una revisión de literatura de la forma en que la estructura organizacional está relacionada con el desempeño de las organizaciones desde diferentes perspectivas teóricas. Posteriormente se identifican las fallas que presentan las estructuras jerárquicas de control, como la forma estructural dominante en el sistema económico actual en cuanto a la forma como procesan información, aprenden y toman decisiones, para luego contrastar la forma en que se presentan estas características en sistemas auto-organizados naturales y artificiales. Como resultado de la revisión de literatura en sistemas autoorganizados naturales y artificiales, se encontró que son altamente robustos en la forma como procesan información, ya que logran transformar la información del entorno en conocimiento para tomar decisiones ágiles, rápidas y de calidad. A partir de esto, es necesario trasladar estas propiedades de los sistemas autoorganizados a las organizaciones empresariales por medio del diseño de estructuras que fomenten la autoorganización para incrementar su desempeño y evitar el fracaso y los efectos en cadena que este origina. Se discuten también las implicaciones de una organización de este tipo y las líneas de investigación que se originan de este trabajo.A estrutura hierárquica foi desenvolvida no contexto empresarial pela facilidade que tem para controle e diminuição dos riscos da racionalidade limitada do indivíduo. Sim embargo, se há evidenciado a precariedade de estruturas no processamento de informação, e por extensão a dificuldade para adaptar-se ao câmbio. Estas dificuldades podem levar a as organizações ao mercado financeiro e aos efeitos em cadeia, se você está desesperado, por estas razões, é necessário encontrar formas estruturais alternativas que superarem esses problemas. Esta pesquisa tem uma revisão da literatura da forma em que é a estrutura organizacional está relacionada com o desempenho das organizações de diferentes perspectivas teóricas. Posteriormente se identifica as faltas que apresentam as estruturas de controle, como a forma estrutural dominante no sistema econômico real em como a forma como processamento de informações, aprender e tomar decisões, para depois contrastar a forma em que se apresentar estas características em sistemas autoorganizados naturales y artificiales. Como resultado da revisão de literatura em sistemas auto naturais e artificiais, encontrou-se que é altamente robusto na forma como a informática, que deseja transformar a informação do entorno em conhecimento para tomar decisões ágiles, rápidas e de qualidade. A partir disto, é necessário transferir estas propriedades dos sistemas autoorganizados às organizações empresariais por meio de projeto de estruturas que fomentam a auto-organização para incrementar o desempenho e evitar o fracasso e os efeitos em cadeia que este origina. Se discutem também as implicações de uma organização deste tipo e as linhas de pesquisa que se originam deste trabalho.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Hasenjager ◽  
William Hoppitt ◽  
Ellouise Leadbeater

AbstractHoneybees famously use waggle dances to communicate foraging locations to nestmates in the hive, thereby recruiting them to those sites. The decision to dance is governed by rules that, when operating collectively, are assumed to direct foragers to the most profitable locations with little input from potential recruits, who are presumed to respond similarly to any dance regardless of its information content. Yet variation in receiver responses can qualitatively alter collective outcomes. Here, we use network-based diffusion analysis to compare the collective influence of dance information during recruitment to feeders at different distances. We further assess how any such effects might be achieved at the individual level by dance-followers either persisting with known sites when novel targets are distant and/or seeking more accurate spatial information to guide long-distance searches. Contrary to predictions, we found no evidence that dance-followers’ responses depended on target distance. While dance information was always key to feeder discovery, its importance did not vary with feeder distance, and bees were in fact quicker to abandon previously rewarding sites for distant alternatives. These findings provide empirical support for the longstanding assumption that self-organized foraging by honeybee colonies relies heavily on signal performance rules with limited input from recipients.


2001 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Engels

Referring to Foulkes's thesis on `ego training in action' this article draws particular attention to the cultural and historical impacts on this self-organized learning process of the individual in group analysis. First, the reflections of Norbert Elias on configurations in German culture are presented. In a second step the conceptualization of early infant upbringing will be analysed in a way that is decentred from the mother-child relationship towards the configurations of the surrounding society. Third, it is suggested that the German habitus is reflected in early infant upbringing in the 1930s, in the pattern of detachment. Finally, by focusing on the individual, there will be a brief discussion of how understanding and attachment can prevent the development from pain to violence: by ego training in action in culture and history.


2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 421-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.-P. NADAL ◽  
M. B. GORDON ◽  
J. R. IGLESIAS ◽  
V. SEMESHENKO

We introduce a general framework for modelling the dynamics of the propensity to offend in a population of (possibly interacting) agents. We consider that each agent has an ‘honesty index’ which parameterizes his probability of abiding by the law. This probability also depends on a composite parameter associated to the attractiveness of the crime outcome and of the crime setting (the context which makes a crime more or less likely to occur, such as the presence or not of a guardian). Within this framework we explore some consequences of the working hypothesis that punishment has a deterrent effect, assuming that, after a criminal act, an agent's honesty index may increase if he is caught and decrease otherwise. We provide both analytical and numerical results. We show that in the space of parameters characterizing the probability of punishment, there are two ‘phases’: one corresponding to a population with a low crime rate and the other to a population with a large crime rate. We speculate on the possible existence of a self-organized state in which, due to the society reaction against crime activities, the population dynamics would be stabilized on the critical line, leading to a wide distribution of propensities to offend in the population. In view of empirical works on the causes of the recent evolution of crime rates in developed countries, we discuss how changes of socio-economic conditions may affect the model parameters, and hence the crime rate in the population. We suggest possible extensions of the model that will allow us to take into account more realistic features.


Author(s):  
Daniel Oro

Complex social animal groups behave as self-organized, single structures: they feed together, they defend against predators together, they escape from perturbations and disperse and migrate together and they share information. It is modestly evident that many individuals sharing information about their environment may be more successful in coping with perturbations than solitary individuals gathering information on their own. The group exists for and by means of all the individuals, and these exist for and by means of the group. Social groups have emergent properties that cannot be easily explained by either selection or self-organization. Yet, sociality has been shaped by the two forces. How sociality has evolved by selection is puzzling also because it confronts the benefits of the group versus the benefits of the individual, which is a historically debated theme. There are many other open questions about sociality that I have explored in this book. But in the end, the process that has fascinated me the most is social copying. Despite the sophisticated mechanisms evolved in increasing information in social groups—which has culminated in humans with language and technological interconnections—it is impressive how a simple behaviour such as social copying has maintained its strength when individuals make any kind of decisions, from insignificant to transcendent....


Author(s):  
Robert Mauro ◽  
Lance Sherry

Complex systems often produce unanticipated emergent behavior as a result of the interactions between behaviorally complex sub-systems or agents. The sub-systems may be human or artificial. They may be co-located or geographically distributed and operate autonomously. Although the individual sub-systems may be tested and certified for high levels of reliability (e.g. 10-7), interactions between the sub-systems may occur so that emergent behaviors allow the system to migrate into an unsafe operating region. This may occur even when all of the sub-systems are behaving nominally and no equipment has failed. This phenomenon is called a “functional complexity failure.” In this paper, we present an analysis of a functional complexity failure that resulted in a runway excursion and discuss the options for detecting and mitigating the conditions for these “normal accidents” before the accident occurs.


2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (13) ◽  
pp. 2439-2475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Degond ◽  
Laurent Navoret

We present an individual-based model describing disk-like self-propelled particles moving inside parallel planes. The disk directions of motion follow alignment rules inside each layer. Additionally, the disks are subject to interactions with those of the neighboring layers arising from volume exclusion constraints. These interactions affect the disk inclinations with respect to the plane of motion. We formally derive a macroscopic model composed of planar self-organized hydrodynamic (SOH) models describing the transport of mass and evolution of mean direction of motion of the disks in each plane, supplemented with transport equations for the mean disk inclination. These planar models are coupled due to the interactions with the neighboring planes. Numerical comparisons between the individual-based and macroscopic models are carried out. These models could be applicable, for instance, to describe sperm-cell collective dynamics.


MRS Bulletin ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 425-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel L. Cox ◽  
David Pines

AbstractIn the study of matter, both living and inanimate, the breakthrough discoveries and most scientists' intellectual obsessions often flow from what we call emergent behavior: phenomena not readily predictable from a detailed knowledge of the material subunits alone. We call systems that display emergent behavior complex adaptive matter, and their relevant organizing principles are unique to their scales of length and time. This issue of MRS Bulletin provides an overview of the aggregate of research on complex adaptive matter through a survey of five examples, ranging from intrinsically disordered electron matter in high-temperature superconductors to protein aggregates in amyloid diseases like Alzheimer's. We explain the philosophy and motivation for this research, noting that the study of emergent phenomena complements a globally reductionist scientific approach by seeking to identify, with intellectual precision, the relevant organizing principles governing the behavior. Our authors focus on the character of emergence for their particular systems, the role of materials research approaches to the problems, and the efforts to identify the organizing principles at work.


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