Robots Learn to Move Like Humans — a New Era of Cognition

Neural networks and machine learning have become an integral part of several advancements in medical diagnosis, e-commerce, and several others. Technological progress has very well established the role of organic neuromorphic robots in learning. Among various learning assessment tools, the maze is a popularly adopted device among psychologists using mice or rat models.

Now, scientists at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) in the Netherlands and the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz, Germany, have opened space for even robots to make its decisions to move through the maze — similar to humans, as published in Science Advances.

Robotics and Learning

“In our research, we have taken this model to develop a robot that is able to learn to move through a labyrinth (maze). Just as a synapse in a mouse brain is strengthened each time it takes the correct turn in a psychologist’s maze, our device is ‘tuned’ by applying a certain amount of electricity. By tuning the resistance in the device, you change”, says Imke Krauhausen, PhD student at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at TU/e and principal author of the paper.

The robot that the study team devised is a Mindstorms EV3, a robotics kit made by Lego. The robot is programmed to take turns based on the corrective stimulus.

“Our robots still rely partly on traditional software to move around. And for the neuromorphic robots to execute really complex tasks, we need to build neuromorphic networks in which many devices work together in a grid. That’s something that I will be working on in the next phase of my PhD research,” says Krauhausen.

The study paves the way to exciting new applications of neuromorphic devices in health and beyond.

Source-Medindia