Lose a leg but not your head – a cognitive extension of a biologically-inspired walking architecture

A cognitive extension for a behavior-based control system for a six-legged robot is proposed that allows a robot to deal with novel situations. Following a minimal cognitive systems approach a biological inspired control system is extended towards a system capable of planning ahead which utilizes a functional internal model of its own body in mental simulation. While the body model is grounded in the underlying control system it is also capable of prediction and allows therefore for internal simulation. An overview of the model and the process of internal simulation is presented. It is detailed using the example of leg loss in a six-legged robot.