Higher Coordination With Less Control—A Result of Information Maximization in the Sensorimotor Loop

Abstract

This work presents a novel learning method in the context of embodied artificial intelligence and self-organization, which has as few assumptions and restrictions as possible about the world and the underlying model. The learning rule is derived from the principle of maximizing the predictive information in the sensorimotor loop. It is evaluated on robot chains of varying length with individually controlled, noncommunicating segments. The comparison of the results shows that maximizing the predictive information per wheel leads to a higher coordinated behavior of the physically connected robots compared with a maximization per robot. Another focus of this article is the analysis of the effect of the robot chain length on the overall behavior of the robots. It will be shown that longer chains with less capable controllers outperform those of shorter length and more complex controllers. The reason is found and discussed in the information-geometric interpretation of the learning process.