8 research outputs found
A Theory of Cheap Control in Embodied Systems
We present a framework for designing cheap control architectures for embodied
agents. Our derivation is guided by the classical problem of universal
approximation, whereby we explore the possibility of exploiting the agent's
embodiment for a new and more efficient universal approximation of behaviors
generated by sensorimotor control. This embodied universal approximation is
compared with the classical non-embodied universal approximation. To exemplify
our approach, we present a detailed quantitative case study for policy models
defined in terms of conditional restricted Boltzmann machines. In contrast to
non-embodied universal approximation, which requires an exponential number of
parameters, in the embodied setting we are able to generate all possible
behaviors with a drastically smaller model, thus obtaining cheap universal
approximation. We test and corroborate the theory experimentally with a
six-legged walking machine. The experiments show that the sufficient controller
complexity predicted by our theory is tight, which means that the theory has
direct practical implications. Keywords: cheap design, embodiment, sensorimotor
loop, universal approximation, conditional restricted Boltzmann machineComment: 27 pages, 10 figure
RoboCup 2D Soccer Simulation League: Evaluation Challenges
We summarise the results of RoboCup 2D Soccer Simulation League in 2016
(Leipzig), including the main competition and the evaluation round. The
evaluation round held in Leipzig confirmed the strength of RoboCup-2015
champion (WrightEagle, i.e. WE2015) in the League, with only eventual finalists
of 2016 competition capable of defeating WE2015. An extended, post-Leipzig,
round-robin tournament which included the top 8 teams of 2016, as well as
WE2015, with over 1000 games played for each pair, placed WE2015 third behind
the champion team (Gliders2016) and the runner-up (HELIOS2016). This
establishes WE2015 as a stable benchmark for the 2D Simulation League. We then
contrast two ranking methods and suggest two options for future evaluation
challenges. The first one, "The Champions Simulation League", is proposed to
include 6 previous champions, directly competing against each other in a
round-robin tournament, with the view to systematically trace the advancements
in the League. The second proposal, "The Global Challenge", is aimed to
increase the realism of the environmental conditions during the simulated
games, by simulating specific features of different participating countries.Comment: 12 pages, RoboCup-2017, Nagoya, Japan, July 201