Reflex-oscillations in evolved single leg neurocontrollers for walking machines |
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Authors: | Arndt von Twickel Frank Pasemann |
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Affiliation: | (1) Fraunhofer Institute AIS, Sankt Augustin, 53754, Germany |
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Abstract: | As a prerequisite for developing neural control for walking machines that are able to autonomously navigate through rough
terrain, artificial structure evolution is used to generate various single leg controllers. The structure and dynamical properties
of the evolved (recurrent) neural networks are then analysed to identify elementary mechanisms of sensor-driven walking behaviour.
Based on the biological understanding that legged locomotion implies a highly decentralised and modular control, neuromodules
for single, morphological distinct legs of a hexapod walking machine were developed by using a physical simulation. Each of
the legs has three degrees of freedom (DOF). The presented results demonstrate how extremely small reflex-oscillators, which
inherently rely on the sensorimotor loop and e.g. hysteresis effects, generate effective locomotion. Varying the fitness function
by randomly changing the environmental conditions during evolution, neural control mechanisms are identified which allow for
robust and adaptive locomotion. Relations to biological findings are discussed. |
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Keywords: | artificial evolution modular locomotion control neural control neurodynamics reflex-oscillators walking machines |
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