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Control of real-world complex robots using a biologically inspired algorithm

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Abstract

Elementary living beings, like bacteria, are able to reach food sources using only limited and very noisy sensory information. In this paper, we describe a very simple algorithm inspired from bacteria chemotaxis. We present a Markov chain model for studying the effect of noise on the behavior of an agent that moves according to this algorithm, and we show that, counterintuitively, the application of noise can increase the expected average performance over a fixed available time. After this theoretical analysis, experiments on real-world application of this algorithm are introduced. In particular, we show that the algorithm is able to control a complex robot arm, actuated by 17 McKibben pneumatic artificial muscles, without the need of any model of the robot or of its environment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Osaka University, JSPS, Engineering Science Building D458, 1-3 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-8531, Japan

    Fabio DallaLibera

  2. Department of Systems Innovation, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Engineering Science Building D458, 1-3 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-8531, Japan

    Hiroshi Ishiguro

  3. Department of Multimedia Engineering, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan

    Shuhei Ikemoto & Koh Hosoda

Authors
  1. Fabio DallaLibera
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  2. Shuhei Ikemoto
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  3. Hiroshi Ishiguro
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  4. Koh Hosoda
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fabio DallaLibera.

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DallaLibera, F., Ikemoto, S., Ishiguro, H. et al. Control of real-world complex robots using a biologically inspired algorithm. Artif Life Robotics 17, 42–46 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10015-012-0034-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10015-012-0034-4

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