comparison thesis/cortex.org @ 485:ac953b562eab

completed first draft.
author Robert McIntyre <rlm@mit.edu>
date Sat, 29 Mar 2014 16:22:49 -0400
parents f60a457e65a8
children 6d460ac3f5d0
comparison
equal deleted inserted replaced
484:f60a457e65a8 485:ac953b562eab
364 - I built =EMPATH=, which uses =CORTEX= to identify the actions of 364 - I built =EMPATH=, which uses =CORTEX= to identify the actions of
365 a worm-like creature using a computational model of empathy. 365 a worm-like creature using a computational model of empathy.
366 366
367 * Building =CORTEX= 367 * Building =CORTEX=
368 368
369 I intend for =CORTEX= to be used as a general purpose library for 369 I intend for =CORTEX= to be used as a general-purpose library for
370 building creatures and outfitting them with senses, so that it will 370 building creatures and outfitting them with senses, so that it will
371 be useful for other researchers who want to test out ideas of their 371 be useful for other researchers who want to test out ideas of their
372 own. To this end, wherver I have had to make archetictural choices 372 own. To this end, wherver I have had to make archetictural choices
373 about =CORTEX=, I have chosen to give as much freedom to the user as 373 about =CORTEX=, I have chosen to give as much freedom to the user as
374 possible, so that =CORTEX= may be used for things I have not 374 possible, so that =CORTEX= may be used for things I have not
2356 #+caption: The hand then uses its muscles to launch the cube! 2356 #+caption: The hand then uses its muscles to launch the cube!
2357 #+name: integration 2357 #+name: integration
2358 #+ATTR_LaTeX: :width 16cm 2358 #+ATTR_LaTeX: :width 16cm
2359 [[./images/integration.png]] 2359 [[./images/integration.png]]
2360 2360
2361 ** =CORTEX= enables many possiblities for further research 2361 ** COMMENT =CORTEX= enables many possiblities for further research
2362 2362
2363 Often times, the hardest part of building a system involving
2364 creatures is dealing with physics and graphics. =CORTEX= removes
2365 much of this initial difficulty and leaves researchers free to
2366 directly pursue their ideas. I hope that even undergrads with a
2367 passing curiosity about simulated touch or creature evolution will
2368 be able to use cortex for experimentation. =CORTEX= is a completely
2369 simulated world, and far from being a disadvantage, its simulated
2370 nature enables you to create senses and creatures that would be
2371 impossible to make in the real world.
2372
2373 While not by any means a complete list, here are some paths
2374 =CORTEX= is well suited to help you explore:
2375
2376 - Empathy :: my empathy program leaves many areas for
2377 improvement, among which are using vision to infer
2378 proprioception and looking up sensory experience with imagined
2379 vision, touch, and sound.
2380 - Evolution :: Karl Sims created a rich environment for
2381 simulating the evolution of creatures on a connection
2382 machine. Today, this can be redone and expanded with =CORTEX=
2383 on an ordinary computer.
2384 - Exotic senses :: Cortex enables many fascinating senses that are
2385 not possible to build in the real world. For example,
2386 telekinesis is an interesting avenue to explore. You can also
2387 make a ``semantic'' sense which looks up metadata tags on
2388 objects in the environment the metadata tags might contain
2389 other sensory information.
2390 - Imagination via subworlds :: this would involve a creature with
2391 an effector which creates an entire new sub-simulation where
2392 the creature has direct control over placement/creation of
2393 objects via simulated telekinesis. The creature observes this
2394 sub-world through it's normal senses and uses its observations
2395 to make predictions about its top level world.
2396 - Simulated prescience :: step the simulation forward a few ticks,
2397 gather sensory data, then supply this data for the creature as
2398 one of its actual senses. The cost of prescience is slowing
2399 the simulation down by a factor proportional to however far
2400 you want the entities to see into the future. What happens
2401 when two evolved creatures that can each see into the future
2402 fight each other?
2403 - Swarm creatures :: Program a group of creatures that cooperate
2404 with each other. Because the creatures would be simulated, you
2405 could investigate computationally complex rules of behavior
2406 which still, from the group's point of view, would happen in
2407 ``real time''. Interactions could be as simple as cellular
2408 organisms communicating via flashing lights, or as complex as
2409 humanoids completing social tasks, etc.
2410 - =HACKER= for writing muscle-control programs :: Presented with
2411 low-level muscle control/ sense API, generate higher level
2412 programs for accomplishing various stated goals. Example goals
2413 might be "extend all your fingers" or "move your hand into the
2414 area with blue light" or "decrease the angle of this joint".
2415 It would be like Sussman's HACKER, except it would operate
2416 with much more data in a more realistic world. Start off with
2417 "calisthenics" to develop subroutines over the motor control
2418 API. This would be the "spinal chord" of a more intelligent
2419 creature. The low level programming code might be a turning
2420 machine that could develop programs to iterate over a "tape"
2421 where each entry in the tape could control recruitment of the
2422 fibers in a muscle.
2423 - Sense fusion :: There is much work to be done on sense
2424 integration -- building up a coherent picture of the world and
2425 the things in it with =CORTEX= as a base, you can explore
2426 concepts like self-organizing maps or cross modal clustering
2427 in ways that have never before been tried.
2428 - Inverse kinematics :: experiments in sense guided motor control
2429 are easy given =CORTEX='s support -- you can get right to the
2430 hard control problems without worrying about physics or
2431 senses.
2432
2363 * COMMENT Empathy in a simulated worm 2433 * COMMENT Empathy in a simulated worm
2364 2434
2365 Here I develop a computational model of empathy, using =CORTEX= as a 2435 Here I develop a computational model of empathy, using =CORTEX= as a
2366 base. Empathy in this context is the ability to observe another 2436 base. Empathy in this context is the ability to observe another
2367 creature and infer what sorts of sensations that creature is 2437 creature and infer what sorts of sensations that creature is