Abstract
The importance of embodiment for effective robot performance has been postulated for a long time. Despite this, only relatively recently concrete quantitative models were put forward to characterize the advantages provided by a well-chosen embodiment. We here use one of these models, based on the concept of relevant information, to identify in a minimalistic scenario how and when embodiment affects the decision density. Concretely, we study how embodiment affects information costs when, instead of atomic actions, scripts are introduced, that is, predefined action sequences. Their inclusion can be treated as a straightforward extension of the basic action space. We will demonstrate the effect on informational decision cost of utilizing scripts vs. basic actions using a simple navigation task. Importantly, we will also employ a world with “mislabeled” actions, which we will call a “twisted” world. This is a model which had been used in an earlier study of the influence of embodiment on decision costs. It will turn out that twisted scenarios, as opposed to well-labeled (“embodied”) ones, are significantly more costly in terms of relevant information. This cost is further worsened when the agent is forced to lower the decision density by employing scripts (once a script is triggered, no decisions are taken until the script has run to its end). This adds to our understanding why well-embodied (interpreted in our model as well-labeled) agents should be preferable, in a quantifiable, objective sense.
Highlights
Research in robotics, while dominated by kinematic and dynamic control laws, has increasingly identified the importance of embodiment for effective operation (Brooks, 1991; Paul, 2006; Paul et al, 2006; Pfeifer et al, 2007)
We investigate the efficacy of these action scripts using the information-theoretic framework from (Polani et al, 2006; Polani, 2011) and investigate in which way a “well-chosen” agent-environment interaction structure, impacts the cognitive cost of actions and scripts
The results show that the embodiment of basic capabilities has a large impact on the cognitive cost to employ those scripts in any of our scenarios
Summary
While dominated by kinematic and dynamic control laws, has increasingly identified the importance of embodiment for effective operation (Brooks, 1991; Paul, 2006; Paul et al, 2006; Pfeifer et al, 2007). Despite being closely related to the old historical research into cybernetics for robotic control, the study of embodiment still ekes out a relatively marginal existence compared to the mainstream techniques. We study the effect of the encoding of actions and multistep action scripts (Riegler and Polani, 2019) using the “twisted world” method (Polani, 2011) on the informational cost of the agent. In order to act effectively, the animal needs to sense its environment and take decisions based on the stimuli. Both require neural activity which is energetically expensive. In biologically plausible decision modeling, the question of how to minimize deliberative cost becomes paramount. Each reduction of the amount the agent needs to sense and to make decisions is an advantage for the organism
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