ENSO Seminar Series

Habit Based Regulation of Essential Variables

Matthew Egbert

Harvard University
Nov. 5, 2015, 2 p.m. UTC // Nov. 5, 2015, 2 p.m. in UTC
In this talk, I will present a computational simulation in which I have coupled a sensorimotor-habit-based controller to a robot with diabetic metabolic dynamics. The simulation is used to show how autonomous sensorimotor structures (habits) can share the same essential variable(s) as the metabolic or "biological" organism that is performing the behavior. The model also demonstrates how, in certain conditions when this is the case, the emergent habits will tend to stabilize these essential variables within viability limits.

Link to join/watch the seminar: https://plus.google.com/events/cf9dv7v4ab07ib68vh90cefb840

Recommended Reading

Habit-Based Regulation of Essential Variables (Egbert & Canamero)
This is the paper that will be presented.

Modelling habits as self-sustaining patterns of sensorimotor behavior (Egbert & Barandiaran)
This paper is a more detailed introduction the IDSM (the habit-based robot controller). This paper describes some of the capabilities and dynamical properties of the IDSM.