Company Profile
The research of the Department of Neuroinformatics and Cognitive Robotics is
focused on the development of behavior-oriented sensorimotor systems, especially
mobile robots, with lifelong learning capabilities to adapt perception and
behavioral control to changing environmental conditions. Behaviors considered
are especially from the areas of
- visually guided mobile robot navigation and
- multi-modal interaction between semi-autonomous agents and human users.
Against this background, the methodological research activities of the
department are focused on the following areas:
- Evolution and organization of navigation- and interaction-behaviors in
multi-modal Human-Robot systems
- Probabilistic and neural techniques for mobile robot navigation,
self-localization, and Human-Robot-Interaction (HRI)
- Vision-based, non-verbal Human-Robot-Interaction by means of gestures,
head and eye gaze, facial expression, and body language
- On-line learning within the "Action-Perception Cycle" (Reinforcement
Learning)
- Life-long learning handling the Stability-Plasticity Dilemma
- Dynamical organization of behaviors in Multi-Agent Systems (MAS)
- Task-relevant visual and auditory attention
- Generative character of perception - as internal simulation of
hypothetical actions and anticipation of their sensory consequences
In the department's research, the following application fields are of
particular interest:
- Autonomous and interaction-based robots in concrete "Real-World"-
applications (Service robots, entertainment and education robots, etc.)
- Vision-based Human-Machine-Interfaces (HMI) for interactive robots
- Robust person detection, tracking and recognition in real-world
video-data streams
- Visually-guided, self-optimizing process control for combustion
processes
The robotics equipment of the department consists of:
- Three mobile robot SCITOS
- One mobile robot PERSES (PERsonalSErvice System - based on a
B21-platform)
- Two mobile robots HOROS 1+2 (HOme RObot System - based on Pioneer
II-platforms)
- One mobile robot MILVA (Multi-sensory Intelligent Learning Vehicle with
Autonomy)
- Seven miniature robots KHEPERA