Robotic Self-Models Inspired by Human Development

Traditionally, in the fields of artificial intelligence and robotics, representations of the self have been conspicuously absent. Capabilities of systems are listed explicitly by developers during construction and choices between behavioral options are decided based on search, inference, and planning. In robotics, while knowledge of the external world has often been acquired through experience, knowledge about the robot itself has generally been built in by the designer. Built-in models of the robot’s kinematics, physical and sensory capabilities, and other equipment have stood in the place of self-knowledge, but none of these representations offer the flexibility, robustness, and functionality that are present in people. In this work, we seek to emulate forms of self-awareness developed during human infancy in our humanoid robot, Nico. In particular, we are interested in the ability to reason about the robot’s embodiment and physical capabilities, with the robot building a model of itself through its experiences.