Volume 2, Issue 3

The classic Reynolds flocking model is formally analysed, with results presented and discussed. Flocking behaviour was investigated through the development of two measurements of flocking, flock area and polarisation, with a view to applying the findings to robotic applications. Experiments varying the flocking simulation parameters individually and simultaneously provide new insight into the control of flock behaviour.

Models of functional connectivity in cortical cultures on multi-electrodes arrays may aid in understanding how cognitive pathways form and improve techniques that aim to interface with neuronal systems. To enable research on such models, this study uses both data- and model-driven approaches to determine what dependencies are present in and between functional connectivity networks derived from bursts of extracellularly recorded activity. Properties of excitation in bursts were analysed using correlative techniques to assess the degree of linear dependence and then two parallel techniques were used to assess functional connectivity. Three models presenting increasing levels of spatio-temporal dependency were used to capture the dynamics of individual functional connections and their consistencies were verified using surrogate data. By comparing network-wide properties between model generated networks and functional networks from data, complex interdependencies were revealed. This indicates the persistent co-activation of neuronal pathways in spontaneous bursts, as can be found in whole brain structures.

Spiking neural networks are usually limited in their applications due to their complex mathematical models and the lack of intuitive learning algorithms. In this paper, a simpler, novel neural network derived from a leaky integrate and fire neuron model, the ‘cavalcade’ neuron, is presented. A simulation for the neural network has been developed and two basic learning algorithms implemented within the environment. These algorithms successfully learn some basic temporal and instantaneous problems. Inspiration for neural network structures from these experiments are then taken and applied to process sensor information so as to successfully control a mobile robot.

The problem of planning multiple vehicles deals with the design of an effective algorithm that can cause multiple autonomous vehicles on the road to communicate and generate a collaborative optimal travel plan. Our modelling of the problem considers vehicles to vary greatly in terms of both size and speed, which makes it sub-optimal to have a faster vehicle follow a slower vehicle or for vehicles to drive with predefined speed lanes. It is essential to have a fast planning algorithm whilst still being probabilistically complete. The Rapidly Exploring Random Trees (RRT) algorithm developed and reported on here uses a problem specific coordination axis, a local optimization algorithm, priority based coordination, and a module for deciding travel speeds. Vehicles are assumed to remain in their current relative position laterally on the road unless otherwise instructed. Experimental results presented here show regular driving behaviours, namely vehicle following, overtaking, and complex obstacle avoidance. The ability to showcase complex behaviours in the absence of speed lanes is characteristic of the solution developed.

Classical models of emotions consider either the communicational aspect of emotions (for instance the emotions conveyed by the facial expressions) or the second order control necessary for survival purpose when the autonomy of the system is an issue. Here, we show the interdependence of communication and meta-control aspects of emotion. We propose the idea that emotions must be understood as a dynamical system linking two controllers: one devoted to social interactions (i.e. communication aspects) and another one devoted to the interactions within the physical world (i.e metacontrol of a more classical controller). Illustrations will be provided from applications involving navigation among different goal places according to different internal drives or object grasping and avoidance.

Layout planning in a manufacturing company is an important economical consideration. In the past, research examining the facility layout problem (FLP) generally concerned static cases, where the material flows between facilities in the layout have been assumed to be invariant over time. However, in today’s real-world scenario, manufacturing system must operate in a dynamic and market-driven environment in which production rates and product mixes are continuously adapting. The dynamic facility layout problem (DFLP) addresses situations in which the flow among various facilities changes over time. Recently, there is an increasing trend towards implementation of industrial robot as a material handling device among the facilities. Reducing the robot energy usage for transporting materials among the facilities of an optimal layout for completing a product will result in an increased life for the robots and thus enhance the productivity of the manufacturing system. In this paper, we present a hybrid genetic algorithm incorporating jumping genes operations and a modified backward pass pair-wise exchange heuristic to determine its effectiveness in optimizing material handling cost while solving the DFLP. A computational study is performed with several existing heuristic algorithms. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is effective in dealing with the DFLP.