Towards a theory of sensory robotics

摘要

SUMMARY A partial review of some efforts in robotics research is presented. We identify two broad categories of work: one characterised by application-driven experimental engineering, the other by a more ‘scientific’ approach based on testing theoretical models through implementation. We argue that although the former represents some of the best practical results obtained to-date, this experiment-first-theory-later approach does not contribute to a homogeneous body of knowledge. If robotics is to make measured progress, sound theoretical ground is needed. We argue for a task-specific paradigm for future theoretical work founded on formal models. To this end, we present a general analysis of a sensory robotic system, and identify key elements that must be defined in any formal model before we can decide what sensory information is useful for a given task.