How the Body Shapes the Way We Think: A New View of Intelligence (A Bradford Book)

How could the body influence our thinking when it seems obvious that the brain controls the body? In How the Body Shapes the Way We Think, Rolf Pfeifer and Josh Bongard demonstrate that thought is not independent of the body but is tightly constrained, and at the same time enabled, by it. They argue that the kinds of thoughts we are capable of have their foundation in our embodiment--in our morphology and the material properties of our bodies.This crucial notion of embodiment underlies fundamental changes in the field of artificial intelligence over the past two decades, and Pfeifer and Bongard use the basic methodology of artificial intelligence--"understanding by building"--to describe their insights. If we understand how to design and build intelligent systems, they reason, we will better understand intelligence in general. In accessible, nontechnical language, and using many examples, they introduce the basic concepts by building on recent developments in robotics, biology, neuroscience, and psychology to outline a possible theory of intelligence. They illustrate applications of such a theory in ubiquitous computing, business and management, and the psychology of human memory. Embodied intelligence, as described by Pfeifer and Bongard, has important implications for our understanding of both natural and artificial intelligence. Cover......Page 1 Title Page......Page 5 Contents......Page 9 Foreword......Page 15 Preface......Page 19 Aims and Scope......Page 20 Road Map to the Book......Page 22 Acknowledgments......Page 24 I Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence, Embodiment, and What the Book Is About......Page 27 1 Intelligence, Thinking, and Artificial Intelligence......Page 31 1.1 Thinking, Cognition, and Intelligence......Page 33 1.2 The Mystery of Intelligence......Page 37 1.3 Defining Intelligence......Page 40 1.4 Artificial Intelligence......Page 43 1.5 Embodiment and Its Implications......Page 44 1.6 Summary......Page 48 2 Artificial Intelligence: The Landscape......Page 51 2.1 Successes of the Classical Approach......Page 53 2.2 Problems of the Classical Approach......Page 56 2.3 The Embodied Turn......Page 60 2.4 The Role of Neuroscience......Page 63 2.5 Diversification......Page 65 2.6 Biorobotics......Page 67 2.7 Developmental Robotics......Page 70 2.8 Ubiquitous Computing and Interfacing Technology......Page 73 2.9 Artificial Life and Multiagent Systems......Page 75 2.10 Evolutionary Robotics......Page 79 2.11 Summary......Page 80 II Toward a Theory of Intelligence......Page 83 3 Prerequisites for a Theory of Intelligence......Page 87 3.1 Level of Generality and Form of Theory......Page 88 3.2 Diversity-Compliance......Page 93 3.3 Frame of Reference......Page 98 3.4 The Synthetic Methodology......Page 103 3.5 Time Perspectives......Page 108 3.6 Emergence......Page 111 3.7 Summary......Page 114 4 Intelligent Systems: Properties and Principles......Page 115 4.1 Real Worlds and Virtual Worlds......Page 116 4.2 Properties of Complete Agents......Page 121 4.3 Agent Design Principle 1: The Three-Constituents Principle......Page 126 4.4 Agent Design Principle 2: The Complete-Agent Principle......Page 130 4.5 Agent Design Principle 3: Cheap Design......Page 133 4.6 Agent Design Principle 4: Redundancy......Page 139 4.7 Agent Design Principle 5: Sensory-Motor Coordination......Page 143 4.8 Agent Design Principle 6: Ecological Balance......Page 149 4.9 Agent Design Principle 7: Parallel, Loosely Coupled Processes......Page 160 4.10 Agent Design Principle 8: Value......Page 163 4.11 Summary and Conclusions......Page 166 5 Development: From Locomotion to Cognition......Page 167 5.1 Motivation......Page 169 5.2 Toward Developmental Robot Design......Page 171 5.3 From Locomotion to Cognition: A Case Study......Page 175 5.4 From Gait Patterns to Body Image to Cognition......Page 179 5.5 The Symbol Grounding Problem......Page 185 5.6 Matching Brain and Body Dynamics......Page 187 5.7 Broadening the Scope: Other Aspects of Development......Page 190 5.8 Learning in Embodied Systems......Page 194 5.9 Social Interaction......Page 196 5.10 Development: Where Are We and Where Do We Go from Here?......Page 199 5.11 Summary: Design Principles for Developmental Systems......Page 201 6 Evolution: Cognition from Scratch......Page 203 6.1 Motivation......Page 207 6.2 The Basics of Evolutionary Computation......Page 210 6.3 The Origins of Evolutionary Computation......Page 213 6.4 Artificial Evolution in the Real World: On Pipes, Antennas, and Electronic Circuits......Page 215 6.5 Evolutionary Robotics......Page 218 6.6 Evolving Morphology and Control......Page 220 6.7 Genetic Regulatory Networks and Developmental Plasticity......Page 222 6.8 Self-Organization: The Powerful Ally of Mutation and Selection......Page 230 6.9 Artificial Evolution: Where Are We and Where Do We Go from Here?......Page 232 6.10 Summary: Design Principles for Evolutionary Systems......Page 234 7 Collective Intelligence: Cognition from Interaction......Page 239 7.1 Motivation......Page 241 7.2 Agent-Based Modeling......Page 243 7.3 Simulation versus Real Robots......Page 247 7.4 Groups of Robots......Page 248 7.5 A Note on Cooperation......Page 252 7.6 Modular Robots......Page 254 7.7 Scalability, Self-Assembly, Self-Repair, Homogeneity, and Heterogeneity......Page 258 7.8 Self-Reproducing Machines......Page 261 7.9 Collective Intelligence: Where Are We and Where Do We Go from Here?......Page 264 7.10 Summary: Design Principles for Collective Systems......Page 267 III Applications and Case Studies......Page 271 8 Ubiquitous Computing and Interfacing Technology......Page 275 8.1 Ubiquitous Technology as Scaffolding......Page 277 8.2 Ubiquitous Technology: Properties and Principles......Page 279 8.3 Interacting with Ubiquitous Technology......Page 289 8.4 Cyborgs......Page 290 8.5 Summary and Conclusions......Page 296 9 Building Intelligent Companies......Page 297 9.1 Management and Entrepreneurship: Decision and Action under Uncertainty......Page 298 9.2 Companies as Embodied Systems......Page 300 9.3 A Synthetic Approach to Management......Page 305 9.4 Design Principles for Building Intelligent Companies......Page 308 9.5 Corroborating the Speculations......Page 319 9.6 Summary and Conclusions......Page 320 10 Where Is Human Memory?......Page 321 10.1 Introduction......Page 324 10.2 The Storehouse Metaphor and Its Problems......Page 326 10.3 Concepts of Memory......Page 328 10.4 The Frame-of-Reference Problem in Memory Research: Ashby’s Proposal......Page 330 10.5 The Embodied View of Memory: Applying the Design Principles for Intelligent Systems......Page 333 10.6 Implications for Memory Research: Summary and Speculations......Page 344 11 Robotic Technology in Everyday Life......Page 349 11.1 Introduction: Everyday Robots......Page 350 11.2 Vacuum Cleaners: Roomba, Trilobite, and Similar Species......Page 353 11.3 Entertainment Robots......Page 354 11.4 Therapeutic, Medical, and Rescue Robots......Page 359 11.5 Humanoid Companion Robots......Page 361 11.6 Robots Capable of Social Communication......Page 367 11.7 Robots Capable of Facial and Bodily Expression......Page 370 11.8 A Theoretical Note......Page 372 11.9 Summary and Conclusions......Page 374 IV Principles and Insights......Page 377 12 How the Body Shapes the Way We Think......Page 379 12.1 Steps Toward a Theory of Intelligence......Page 380 12.2 Selected Highlights......Page 384 12.3 Seeing Things Differently......Page 393 12.4 Epilogue......Page 396 Notes......Page 399 References......Page 401 Index......Page 415 Jacket......Page 422 An exploration of embodied intelligence and its implications points toward a theory of intelligence in general; with case studies of intelligent systems in ubiquitous computing, business and management, human memory, and robotics.How could the body influence our thinking when it seems obvious that the brain controls the body? In How the Body Shapes the Way We Think, Rolf Pfeifer and Josh Bongard demonstrate that thought is not independent of the body but is tightly constrained, and at the same time enabled, by it. They argue that the kinds of thoughts we are capable of have their foundation in our embodiment—in our morphology and the material properties of our bodies.This crucial notion of embodiment underlies fundamental changes in the field of artificial intelligence over the past two decades, and Pfeifer and Bongard use the basic methodology of artificial intelligence—'understanding by building'—to describe their insights. If we understand how to design and build intelligent systems, they reason, we will better understand intelligence in general. In accessible, nontechnical language, and using many examples, they introduce the basic concepts by building on recent developments in robotics, biology, neuroscience, and psychology to outline a possible theory of intelligence. They illustrate applications of such a theory in ubiquitous computing, business and management, and the psychology of human memory. Embodied intelligence, as described by Pfeifer and Bongard, has important implications for our understanding of both natural and artificial intelligence. An exploration of embodied intelligence and its implications points toward a theory of intelligence in general; with case studies of intelligent systems in ubiquitous computing, business and management, human memory, and robotics. How could the body influence our thinking when it seems obvious that the brain controls the body? In How the Body Shapes the Way We Think , Rolf Pfeifer and Josh Bongard demonstrate that thought is not independent of the body but is tightly constrained, and at the same time enabled, by it. They argue that the kinds of thoughts we are capable of have their foundation in our embodimentin our morphology and the material properties of our bodies. This crucial notion of embodiment underlies fundamental changes in the field of artificial intelligence over the past two decades, and Pfeifer and Bongard use the basic methodology of artificial intelligence"understanding by building"to describe their insights. If we understand how to design and build intelligent systems, they reason, we will better understand intelligence in general. In accessible, nontechnical language, and using many examples, they introduce the basic concepts by building on recent developments in robotics, biology, neuroscience, and psychology to outline a possible theory of intelligence. They illustrate applications of such a theory in ubiquitous computing, business and management, and the psychology of human memory. Embodied intelligence, as described by Pfeifer and Bongard, has important implications for our understanding of both natural and artificial intelligence.

How could the body influence our thinking when it seems obvious that the brain controls the body? In How the Body Shapes the Way We Think, Rolf Pfeifer and Josh Bongard demonstrate that thought is not independent of the body but is tightly constrained, and at the same time enabled, by it. They argue that the kinds of thoughts we are capable of have their foundation in our embodiment—in our morphology and the material properties of our bodies.This crucial notion of embodiment underlies fundamental changes in the field of artificial intelligence over the past two decades, and Pfeifer and Bongard use the basic methodology of artificial intelligence—"understanding by building"—to describe their insights. If we understand how to design and build intelligent systems, they reason, we will better understand intelligence in general. In accessible, nontechnical language, and using many examples, they introduce the basic concepts by building on recent developments in robotics, biology, neuroscience, and psychology to outline a possible theory of intelligence. They illustrate applications of such a theory in ubiquitous computing, business and management, and the psychology of human memory. Embodied intelligence, as described by Pfeifer and Bongard, has important implications for our understanding of both natural and artificial intelligence.