Ecological robotics

There are striking parallels between ecological psychology and the new trends in robotics and computer vision, particularly regarding how agents interact with the environment. We present some ideas from ecological psychology, including control laws using optic flow, affordances, and action modes, and describe our implementation of these concepts in two mobile robots that can avoid obstacles and chase or flee moving targets solely by using optic flow. The properties of these methods were explored further in simulation. This work ties in with that of others who argue for a methodological approach in robotics that forgoes a central model or planner. Not only might ecological psychology contribute to robotics, but robotic implementations might, in turn, provide a test bed for ecological principles and a source of ideas that could be tested in animals and humans.