Page 15 - Rapid Learning in Robotics

Chapter 1

Introduction

In school we learned many things: e.g. vocabulary, grammar, geography,
solving mathematical equations, and coordinating movements in sports.
These are very different things which involve declarative knowledge as
well as procedural knowledge or skills in principally all fields. We are
used to subsume these various processes of obtaining this knowledge and
skills under the single word “learning”. And, we learned that learning is
important. Why is it important to a living organism?
Learning is a crucial capability if the effective environment cannot be
foreseen in all relevant details, either due to complexity, or due to the non-
stationarity of the environment. The mechanisms of learning allow nature
to create and re-produce organisms or systems which can evolve — with
respect to the later given environment — optimized behavior.
This is a fascinating mechanism, which also has very attractive techni-
cal perspectives. Today many technical appliances and systems are stan-
dardized and cost-efficient mass products. As long as they are non-adaptable,
they require the environment and its users to comply to the given stan-
dard. Using learning mechanisms, advanced technical systems can adapt
to the different given needs, and locally reach a satisfying level of helpful
performance.
Of course, the mechanisms of learning are very old. It took until the
end of the last century, when first important aspects were elucidated. A
major discovery was made in the context of physiological studies of ani-
mal digestion: Ivan Pavlov fed dogs and found that the inborn (“uncondi-
tional”) salivation reflex upon the taste of meat can become accompanied
by a conditioned reflex triggered by other stimuli. For example, when a bell

J. Walter “Rapid Learning in Robotics” 1