Learning from Nature to Build Intelligent Autonomous Robots

Information processing within autonomous robots should follow a biomimetic approach. In contrast to traditional approaches that make intensive use of accurate measurements, numerical models and control theory, the proposed biomimetic approach favors the concepts of perception, situation, skill and behavior - concepts that are used to describe human and animal behavior as well. Sensing should primarily be based on those senses that have proved their effectiveness in nature, such as vision, tactile sensing and heating. Furthermore, human-robot communication should mimic dialogues between humans. It should be situation-dependent, multimodal and primarily based on spoken natural language and gestures. Applying these biomimetic concepts to the design of our robots led to adaptable, dependable and human-friendly behavior, which was proved in several short- and long-term experiments.