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The Cog Project: Building a Humanoid Robot

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Computation for Metaphors, Analogy, and Agents (CMAA 1998)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 1562))

Abstract

To explore issues of developmental structure, physical embodiment, integration of multiple sensory and motor systems, and social interaction, we have constructed an upper-torso humanoid robot called Cog. The robot has twenty-one degrees of freedom and a variety of sensory systems, including visual, auditory, vestibular, kinesthetic, and tactile senses. This chapter gives a background on the methodology that we have used in our investigations, highlights the research issues that have been raised during this project, and provides a summary of both the current state of the project and our long-term goals. We report on a variety of implemented visual-motor routines (smooth-pursuit tracking, saccades, binocular vergence, and vestibular-ocular and opto-kinetic reflexes), orientation behaviors, motor control techniques, and social behaviors (pointing to a visual target, recognizing joint attention through face and eye finding, imitation of head nods, and regulating interaction through expressive feedback). We further outline a number of areas for future research that will be necessary to build a complete embodied system.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab, 545 Technology SquareCambridge, MA 02139, USA

    Rodney A. Brooks, Cynthia Breazeal, Matthew Marjanović, Brian Scassellati & Matthew M. Williamson

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  1. Rodney A. Brooks
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  2. Cynthia Breazeal
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  3. Matthew Marjanović
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  4. Brian Scassellati
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  5. Matthew M. Williamson
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield Herts, AL10 9AB, UK

    Chrystopher L. Nehaniv

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Brooks, R.A., Breazeal, C., Marjanović, M., Scassellati, B., Williamson, M.M. (1999). The Cog Project: Building a Humanoid Robot. In: Nehaniv, C.L. (eds) Computation for Metaphors, Analogy, and Agents. CMAA 1998. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 1562. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-48834-0_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-48834-0_5

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