Neurophysiological Models of Gaze Control in Humanoid Robotics

Thanks to the improvements in mechanical technology, it is currently possible to design robotic platforms that are increasingly similar to humans (Laschi et al., 2008; Kaneko, 2004; Kuffner et al., 2005). However, the increasing robot complexity (i.e. presence of many degrees of freedom, non linear actuation and complex geometries), requires more sophisticated control models and heavier computational burden. The development of humanoid robot is a very relevant issue in robotic research especially when one considers the challenges related to the actual implementation of a humanoid robot both in terms of mechanics and control system. However these research efforts are justified considering that, an actual humanoid robot is regarded as a fundamental tool for neuroscience and, at the same time, neuroscience can be exploited as an alternative control solution for the design of humanoid robots (Kawato, 2000). In this chapter, the neurophysiological models for gaze (i.e. the line of sight) shift control will be discussed and their implementation on a head robotic platform is presented. In particular the rapid movement of the gaze and the issues related to the eye-head coordination were investigated from neurophysiologic and robotics points of view. In neurophysiology the rapid movement of the gaze is known as saccadic. This movements are also classified either as head-restrained visual orienting movement or head-free visual orienting movement (Barnes, 1979; Bizzi et al., 1971; Bizzi, 1972; Guitton andVolle 1987; Guitton, 1992; Goossens and Van Opstal 1997). The neurophysiologic models that will be discussed here are the visual mapping of superior colliculus and the independent gaze control model presented by Goossens and colleagues for the eye-head coordinated motion (Goossens & Van Opstal, 1997). In the case of visual colliculus mapping, the input is a visual image that is mapped from camera image to the superior colliculus. Conversely, for the gaze model control, the input data are the two angular deviations (i.e. horizontal and vertical) that may be used to define the gaze shift amplitude and the movement orientation. The eye-head saccadic model

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