Page 75 - Dynamic Vision for Perception and Control of Motion

3 Subjects and Subject Classes

Extending representational schemes found in the literature up to now, this chapter
introduces a concept for visual dynamic scene understanding centered on the phe-
nomenon of control variables in dynamic systems. According to the international
standard adopted in mathematics, natural sciences, and engineering, control vari-
ables are those variables of a dynamic system, which can be changed at any mo-
ment. On the contrary, state variables are those, which cannot be changed instan-
taneously, but have to evolve over time. State variables de-couple the future
evolution of a system from the past; the minimal number required to achieve this is
called the order of the system.
It is the existence of control variables in a system that separates subjects from
objects (proper). This fact contains the kernel for the emergence of a “free will”
and consciousness, to be discussed in the outlook at the end of the book. Before
this can be made understandable, however, this new starting point will be demon-
strated to allow systematic access to many terms in natural language. In combina-
tion with well-known methods from control engineering, it provides the means for
solving the symbol grounding problem often deplored in conventional AI [Wino-
grad, Flores 1990]. The decisions made by subjects for control application in a given
task and under given environmental conditions are the driving factors for the evo-
lution of goal-oriented behavior. This has to be seen in connection with perform-
ance evaluation of populations of subjects. Once this loop of causes becomes suffi-
ciently well understood and explicitly represented in the decision-making process,
emergence of “intelligence” in the abstract sense can be stated.
Since there are many factors involved in understanding the actual situation
given, those that influence the process to be controlled have to be separated from
those that are irrelevant. Thus, perceiving the situation correctly is of utmost im-
portance for proper decision-making. It is not intended here to give a general dis-
cussion of this methodical approach for all kinds of subjects; rather, this will be
confined to vehicles with the sense of vision just becoming realizable for transport-
ing humans and their goods. It is our conviction, however, that all kinds of subjects
in the biological and technical realm can be analyzed and classified this way.
Therefore, without restrictions, subjects are defined as bodily objects with
the capability of measurement intake and control output depending on the
measured data as well as on stored background knowledge.

This is a very general definition subsuming all animals and technical devices with
these properties.