Improving the DAC Architecture by Using Proprioceptive Sensors

Abstract

Previous research has proposed the distributed adaptive control (DAC) architecture as a self-organizing controller for autonomous mobile robots. Despite its successes, practical experience has indicated several options for improvement. This paper proposes a new control architecture for mobile robots that can be seen as an extension of the DAC architecture. The control architecture consists of a controller and a value system. The controller uses the activity patterns of visual sensors to determine the motor commands, whereas the value system receives stimuli from proprioceptive sensors. This design decision is justified by the following arguments: (1) both components are significantly decoupled by using different sensory modalities; (2) the feedback of proprioceptive sensory patterns is omnipresent in biological systems and has been widely neglected in control systems; and (3) proprioceptive sensors operate more reliably and can be used more efficiently than visual sensors, such as pix...