Automating Collective Robotic System Design

This paper presents a study on methods for bodybrain (behavior-morphology) co-evolution in a collective evolutionary robotics system. We investigate a neuro-evolution developmental encoding method designed for the co-evolution of robot behavior-morphology couplings. This behavior-morphology evolution method is evaluated across increasingly complex (difficult) collective behavior task environments. This is in comparison to controller evolution within pre-engineered robot morphologies (sensory configurations). Task-complexity is equated with the degree of cooperation required in collective robotics tasks. Results indicate that the developmental method produces significantly more effective behavior-morphology couplings, compared to those evolved with direct encoding methods and controllers evolved within fixed morphologies. These results suggest that such developmental encoding methods could serve as a general evolutionary simulation design tool for automating collective robotic designs. An end goal is for such collective robotic system designs to be rapidly prototyped and deployed in the physical task environments for which they were evolved

Neuro-Evolution for Emergent Specialization in Collective Behavior Systems

Eiben, A.E. [Promotor]Schut, M.C. [Copromotor

Role and Discipline Relationships in a Transdisciplinary Biomedical Team: Structuration, Values Override and Context Scaffolding

Though accepted that "team science" is needed to tackle and conquer the health problems that are plaguing our society significant empirical evidence of team mechanisms and functional dynamics is still lacking in abundance. Through grounded methods the relationship between scientific disciplines and team roles was observed in a United States National Institutes of Health-funded (NIH) research consortium. Interviews and the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) were employed.. Findings show strong role and discipline idiosyncrasies that when viewed separately provide different insights into team functioning and change receptivity. When considered simultaneously, value-latent characteristics emerged showing self-perceived contributions to the team. This micro/meso analysis suggests that individual participation in team level interactions can inform the structuration of roles and disciplines in an attempt to tackle macro level problems.Comment: Presented at COINs13 Conference, Chile, 2013 (arxiv:1308.1028

The Benefits of Adaptive Behavior and Morphology for Cooperation in Robot Teams

This is a study on the role of morphological (sensor configuration) and behavioral (control system) adaptation in simulated robot teams that must accomplish cooperative tasks. The research objective was to elucidate the necessary features and computational mechanics of a method that automates the behavior-morphology design of robot teams that must accomplish cooperative tasks (tasks that cannot be optimally solved by individual robots). Results indicate that automating behavior-morphology design is beneficial as task complexity increases, compared to evolving behaviors in fixed morphology teams. However, increased task complexity does not necessarily equate to the evolution of increased morphological complexity in teams

Transforming School-Based Mental Health to Heal the Collective Soul Wound

Pervasive well-being concerns of youth in Alberta are steadily contributing to society’s collective soul wound. In response to this growing need, K-12 systems are faced with increased demands for school-based mental health services. Public Prairie School Division (PPSD) provides student mental health intervention needs through onsite access to school-based teacher counsellors and referrals to centralized psychologists. However, decisions regarding mental health practitioner allocations or practice standards are often left to individuals and generally follow historical practice. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) problematizes PPSD’s lack of system-wide approaches to mental health interventions that can provide assurance of improved efficacy and equity in meeting student mental health needs. Transformative leadership applied within a utilitarian consequentialist lens has the potential to improve individual and collective student well-being. The decolonizing lens of scarring the collective soul wound will elevate system leadership to counter pervasive neoliberalism and allow for change and healing within ethical spaces. Actioning psychosocial change using transformative learning theory positions practitioners as co-creators of new counselling practice standards in response to student and parent feedback. Allocation changes stemming from systemic analysis of demographic and referral data should increase equity of access to teacher counsellors. Evidence of improved access and efficacy in mental health interventions will be sought through interconnected plan-do-study-act cycles and more broadly confirmed through a RE-AIM framework. Verifying PPSD’s collective soul wound scar also requires the application of an Indigenous wellness perspective