creators_name: Buller, Andrzej
editors_name: Prince, Christopher G.
editors_name: Demiris, Yiannis
editors_name: Marom, Yuval
editors_name: Kozima, Hideki
editors_name: Balkenius, Christian
type: confposter
datestamp: 2003-10-04
lastmod: 2011-03-11 08:55:03
metadata_visibility: show
title: Volitron: On a Psychodynamic Robot and Its Four Realities
ispublished: pub
subjects: comp-sci-mach-learn
subjects: comp-sci-art-intel
subjects: comp-sci-robot
full_text_status: public
keywords: Volitron, psychodynamic robot, working memory, action planning, behavior prediction
abstract: This paper discusses the concept of Volitron - a controller to make its host robot increase its competence in such activities as self-initiated exploration of an environment, new goal acquisition, and planning/executing of actions while taking into account predicted behaviors of objects of interest. There are four key elements in Volitron's structure: a model of perceived reality, a model of desired reality, a model of ideal reality and a model of anticipated reality. The task of a robot's working memory includes producing images of the robot itself imitating another subject's activities and sending the images to a model of desired reality. A tension (a concept borrowed from  psychoanalysis) arising from the differences between a perceived reality and a desired reality is a source of a motivation toward action. The final decision to take an action is based on a comparison of the model of anticipated reality with that of ideal reality. The interaction of Volitron's elements are described in the paper. Furthermore, a computational model of working memory (WM) and its psychological justification are provided.
date: 2002
date_type: published
volume: 94
publisher: Lund University Cognitive Studies
pagerange: 17-20
refereed: TRUE
citation:   Buller, Andrzej  (2002) Volitron: On a Psychodynamic Robot and Its Four Realities.  [Conference Poster]     
document_url: http://cogprints.org/2505/1/Buller.pdf