Developmental robotics

Developmental Robotics (DevRob), sometimes called epigenetic robotics, is a methodology that uses metaphors from developmental psychology to develop controllers for autonomous robots. The focus is on a single robot going through stages of autonomous mental development . Researchers in this field study artificial emotions, self-motivation, and other methods of self-organization.

DevRob is related to, but differs from, evolutionary robotics (ER). ER uses populations of robots that evolve over time, whereas DevRob is interested in the organization of a single robot's control system develops through experience, over time.

DevRob is also related to work done in the domains of Robotics, Artificial Life.

History

DevRob was first proposed with Weng et. al.s Autonomous mental development by robots and animals. Science 291:599 600.

Links and further Information

Academic institutions and researchers in the field

• Michigan State University: http://www.cse.msu.edu/~weng/

Main Conferences

• International Conference on Development and Learning ICDL: http://icdl.cc/
• Epigentic Robotics: http://www.epigenetic-robotics.org/
• Developmental Robotics: http://cs.brynmawr.edu/DevRob05/