Tutorials

Tutorial 1, September 20 (Tue)
What is an Affordance?: A Tutorial on James J. Gibson's Ecological Approach to Perception and Action

Hiroyuki Mishima, Associate Professor

Faculty of Education and Regional Studies
University of Fukui
Japan

Abstract

This tutorial outlines the basic idea of Gibsonian ecological psychology by focusing on its units of analysis. First, I point out that the critical problems of traditional psychology come from its dualistic/reductionistic approach and mechanical units of analysis. Then, by providing some suggestive examples, I show the fact that animals living in their own environment perceive or utilize the higher order behavioral resources of the environment, which is called 'affordances,' instead of 'stimulus' that traditional theories suppose to be the causes of animals behavior. Finally, I introduce the idea of 'invariants,' which James J. Gibson (1904-1979) proposed as basic units of perception, and go on to argue the importance of such a special kind of higher order and functional unit of analysis in order to overcome difficulties that traditional theory intrinsically have. In addition to those above, the basic idea of 'dynamical systems approach' and its application in the context of ecological psychology are introduced.


Tutorial 2, September 20 (Tue)
Evolutionary Robotics - the Use of Artificial Evolution in Robotics

Mattias Wahde, Ph.D, Associate Professor

Department of Applied Mechanics
Chalmers University of Technology
Sweden

Abstract

This tutorial covers applications of evolutionary algorithms in robotics. Such algorithms are becoming increasingly important as optimization tools in many fields of science and technology, including robotics, mainly due to their ability to search efficiently through large and complex search spaces.

The tutorial begins with two examples, one involving a simulated robot and the other a small experimental robot. A general introduction to evolutionary algorithms is then given, starting with basic concepts and proceeding to complex topics, such as the use of evolutionary methods in open-ended problems, where the size of the system being optimized is not known in advance.

Next, in the main part of the tutorial, evolutionary robotics is studied from a variety of aspects through a set of illustrative examples. Both simple cases, involving a single behavior, and more complex cases, involving a repertoire of behaviors, are considered. The important problem of behavioral organization (selection) is studied in depth. Finally, commercial applications (both present and future) are discussed as well.

(Last modified: Aug. 27, 2005)