Designing and Implementing Real Walking Agents using Virtual Environments

In Applications of Artificial Intelligence (Expert Systems, Robotics and Vision Systems, Fuzzy Logic and Neural Networks) -- N.J.Mamede and C. Pinto-Ferreira (Eds.)-- Scitec Publications Ltd., 1996

Abstract:

This paper deals with a new approach for developing autonomous agents; real agents embedded in virtual environments. The underlying idea is to take advantadge of simulations --as in the case of tuning design parameters-- but avoiding some of the related drawbacks --mainly the artificial nature of the simulated world--.
This idea can be implemented using a real robot acting in a real world but avoiding and interacting with virtual obstacles, food or other agents. This also allows the observation of real actions, even when the perceptual mechanisms are totally embedded in the virtual wrold.
A small 12-degrees-of-freedom hexapod has been built to test this proposed platform. Results show that this platform is useful for the design of autonomous agents and is very useful when applied to teaching purpouses.