PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

Which attributes turn a robotic system from a dumb machine into a cognitive entity? This and many related questions are investigated in this work, starting with the definition of the term cognition. In order to describe and compare robots in an as general way as possible, a novel metric is introduced, defining twelve attribute classes. Furthermore, the process of creating a new robot is described from a systems engineering perspective as a seven stage procedure and difficulties that arise during practical realization of a new platform are outlined, thereby identifying the so-called dependency dilemma. The proposed solution to resolve these issues is throughout modularization of hardware and software. If done right, this approach has the potential to accelerate progress in robotics and cognitive science by making platforms much more flexible, and motivating for more cooperation regarding development and experimentation within an even broader community.