Animal behavior as a paradigm for developing robot autonomy

We have been examining naturally occurring examples of autonomous systems in order to identify characteristics that might provide insight into our research on autonomy. In the first part of this paper, we review relevant research which has occurred in the area of animal behavior. Based on certain observations, we have proposed a number of primitive reflexive behaviors which are then used to develop several useful emergent behaviors. These emergent behaviors were demonstrated on a simulated mobile robot and then successfully implemented on Scarecrow, an actual robot. Scarecrow allows us to demonstrate that behavioral control strategies do indeed provide us with a powerful strategy for robust operation in dynamically changing unstructured environments in which one cannot impose unrealistic expectations on the performance of the machine or its sensors. A consequence of this is, that given the unpredictability of human actions, such behavioral control strategies may facilitate the safe interaction of man and machine.

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