Biomimetic Control of Mobile Robots based on the Information Processing Model of Paramecium

In order to survive in complex natural environments, living organisms have been genetically acquiring various algorithms. Protozoans, for example, respond to various stimuli to search for a hospitable environment. Recently, the concept of Software Biology has been proposed, in which the algorithms of living organisms are considered as a kind of software that could be utilized for robot control. Thus far, we have focused on the information processing algorithm of Paramecium, and proposed its computer model, Virtual Paramecium, based on biological knowledge. Virtual Paramecium can approximately realize the chemotactic behavior of the actual Pramecium based on the information processing model. In this paper, we report the results obtained when a mobile robot is controlled using Virtual Paramecium, and confirm the effectiveness of the biomimetic control based on the information processing algorithm of living organisms.