Motivation, Emotion and the Role of Functional Circuits in Autonomous Agent Design Methodology

This paper discusses a new methodological approach to designing software for autonomous agents. For real autonomy such systems must be equipped with a motivational subsystem that drives the agent and selects among its possible behaviors. We present a methodology that supports the design of such a system and discuss its relation to theoretical biology, particularly the work of Jakob von Uexk ull. Another issue which is treated more brieey here, is the role of emotion in such an agent, particularly the communicative function of showing emotions. These issues are discussed in the context of behavior-based control circuits.