Robots as Powerful Allies for the Study of Embodied Cognition from the Bottom Up
The Oxford Handbook of 4E Cognition January 15, 2018 M. Hoffmann, R. Pfeifer 32 citations
A large body of evidence shows that embodiment—an agent's physical setup, including shape, materials, sensors, and actuators—is essential for cognition, so models of cognition must be embodied. Robots offer a powerful tool because their embodiment and control programs can be systematically varied, unlike in empirical sciences. This paper presents a robotic, bottom-up, developmental approach with three stages: low-level behaviors like walking and reflexes, learning regularities in sensorimotor spaces, and human-like cognition. Robotic research deepens understanding of cognition, and robots benefit from human-like cognition to become more autonomous, robust, resilient, and safe.