A primate-inspired autonomous navigation algorithm using the cognitive mechanism of mental rotation

Though significant progress on autonomous navigation has been made, the natural world offers interesting examples of navigational techniques that are worth exploring and understanding. The cognitive mechanism of mental rotation has been revealed in numerous cognitive and neuroscientific experiments; its reason for existence and evolution, however, has yet to be thoroughly understood. It is speculated that this mechanism may assist primates in navigation. This paper explores how mental rotation can be used in navigation by developing an autonomous robotic navigation algorithm that draws inspiration from the mechanism. This algorithm was tested on a robot tasked with navigating to a specified goal location contained within the agent’s initial view. The testing suggests that mental rotation can be used as an asset in navigation. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014.