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     1.4 +Here I explore the design and capabilities of my system (called
     1.5 +=CORTEX=) which enables experiments in /embodied artificial
     1.6 +intelligence/ -- that is, AI which uses a physical simulation of
     1.7 +reality accompanied by a simulated body to solve problems.
     1.8 +
     1.9 +In the first half of the thesis I describe the construction of
    1.10 +=CORTEX= and the rationale behind my architecture choices. =CORTEX= is
    1.11 +a complete platform for embodied AI research. It provides multiple
    1.12 +senses for simulated creatures, including vision, touch,
    1.13 +proprioception, muscle tension, and hearing. Each of these senses
    1.14 +provides a wealth of parameters that are biologically
    1.15 +inspired. =CORTEX= is able to simulate any number of creatures and
    1.16 +senses, and provides facilities for easily modeling and creating new
    1.17 +creatures. As a research platform it is more complete than any other
    1.18 +system currently available.
    1.19 +
    1.20 +In the second half of the thesis I develop a computational model of
    1.21 +empathy, using =CORTEX= as a base. Empathy in this context is the
    1.22 +ability to observe another creature and infer what sorts of sensations
    1.23 +that creature is feeling. My empathy algorithm involves multiple
    1.24 +phases. First is free-play, where the creature moves around and gains
    1.25 +sensory experience. From this experience I construct a representation
    1.26 +of the creature's sensory state space, which I call \phi-space. Using
    1.27 +\phi-space, I construct an efficient function for enriching the
    1.28 +limited data that comes from observing another creature with a full
    1.29 +compliment of imagined sensory data based on previous experience. I
    1.30 +can then use the imagined sensory data to recognize what the observed
    1.31 +creature is doing and feeling, using straightforward embodied action
    1.32 +predicates. This is all demonstrated with using a simple worm-like
    1.33 +creature, recognizing worm-actions in video.
    1.34 +