4,619 research outputs found
Quantifying the Evolutionary Self Structuring of Embodied Cognitive Networks
We outline a possible theoretical framework for the quantitative modeling of
networked embodied cognitive systems. We notice that: 1) information self
structuring through sensory-motor coordination does not deterministically occur
in Rn vector space, a generic multivariable space, but in SE(3), the group
structure of the possible motions of a body in space; 2) it happens in a
stochastic open ended environment. These observations may simplify, at the
price of a certain abstraction, the modeling and the design of self
organization processes based on the maximization of some informational
measures, such as mutual information. Furthermore, by providing closed form or
computationally lighter algorithms, it may significantly reduce the
computational burden of their implementation. We propose a modeling framework
which aims to give new tools for the design of networks of new artificial self
organizing, embodied and intelligent agents and the reverse engineering of
natural ones. At this point, it represents much a theoretical conjecture and it
has still to be experimentally verified whether this model will be useful in
practice.
Recommended from our members
Reachable Workspace and Proximal Function Measures for Quantifying Upper Limb Motion.
There are a lack of quantitative measures for clinically assessing upper limb function. Conventional biomechanical performance measures are restricted to specialist labs due to hardware cost and complexity, while the resulting measurements require specialists for analysis. Depth cameras are low cost and portable systems that can track surrogate joint positions. However, these motions may not be biologically consistent, which can result in noisy, inaccurate movements. This paper introduces a rigid body modelling method to enforce biological feasibility of the recovered motions. This method is evaluated on an existing depth camera assessment: the reachable workspace (RW) measure for assessing gross shoulder function. As a rigid body model is used, position estimates of new proximal targets can be added, resulting in a proximal function (PF) measure for assessing a subject's ability to touch specific body landmarks. The accuracy, and repeatability of these measures is assessed on ten asymptomatic subjects, with and without rigid body constraints. This analysis is performed both on a low-cost depth camera system and a gold-standard active motion capture system. The addition of rigid body constraints was found to improve accuracy and concordance of the depth camera system, particularly in lateral reaching movements. Both RW and PF measures were found to be feasible candidates for clinical assessment, with future analysis needed to determine their ability to detect changes within specific patient populations
Efficient collective swimming by harnessing vortices through deep reinforcement learning
Fish in schooling formations navigate complex flow-fields replete with
mechanical energy in the vortex wakes of their companions. Their schooling
behaviour has been associated with evolutionary advantages including collective
energy savings. How fish harvest energy from their complex fluid environment
and the underlying physical mechanisms governing energy-extraction during
collective swimming, is still unknown. Here we show that fish can improve their
sustained propulsive efficiency by actively following, and judiciously
intercepting, vortices in the wake of other swimmers. This swimming strategy
leads to collective energy-savings and is revealed through the first ever
combination of deep reinforcement learning with high-fidelity flow simulations.
We find that a `smart-swimmer' can adapt its position and body deformation to
synchronise with the momentum of the oncoming vortices, improving its average
swimming-efficiency at no cost to the leader. The results show that fish may
harvest energy deposited in vortices produced by their peers, and support the
conjecture that swimming in formation is energetically advantageous. Moreover,
this study demonstrates that deep reinforcement learning can produce navigation
algorithms for complex flow-fields, with promising implications for energy
savings in autonomous robotic swarms.Comment: 26 pages, 14 figure
Inertial amplification of continuous structures: Large band gaps from small masses
Wave motion in a continuous elastic rod with a periodically attached
inertial-amplification mechanism is investigated. The mechanism has properties
similar to an "inerter" typically used in vehicle suspensions, however here it
is constructed and utilized in a manner that alters the intrinsic properties of
a continuous structure. The elastodynamic band structure of the hybrid
rod-mechanism structure yields band gaps that are exceedingly wide and deep
when compared to what can be obtained using standard local resonators, while
still being low in frequency. With this concept, a large band gap may be
realized with as much as twenty times less added mass compared to what is
needed in a standard local resonator configuration. The emerging inertially
enhanced continuous structure also exhibits unique qualitative features in its
dispersion curves. These include the existence of a characteristic double-peak
in the attenuation constant profile within gaps and the possibility of
coalescence of two neighbouring gaps creating a large contiguous gap.Comment: Manuscript is under review for journal publicatio
The Rigidity of Spherical Frameworks: Swapping Blocks and Holes
A significant range of geometric structures whose rigidity is explored for
both practical and theoretical purposes are formed by modifying generically
isostatic triangulated spheres. In the block and hole structures (P, p), some
edges are removed to make holes, and other edges are added to create rigid
sub-structures called blocks. Previous work noted a combinatorial analogy in
which blocks and holes played equivalent roles. In this paper, we connect
stresses in such a structure (P, p) to first-order motions in a swapped
structure (P', p), where holes become blocks and blocks become holes. When the
initial structure is geometrically isostatic, this shows that the swapped
structure is also geometrically isostatic, giving the strongest possible
correspondence. We use a projective geometric presentation of the statics and
the motions, to make the key underlying correspondences transparent.Comment: 36 pages, 9 figure
- …