Robotics and Biology Laboratory

Capabilities and consequences of recursive, hierarchical information processing in visual systems

© Felix Noak

Contact

Aravind Battaje, Angelica Godinez

Oliver Brock, Martin Rolfs

Project Description

We investigate human and robot perception. The goal is to develop a constructive understanding of perceptual information processing, capitalizing on the analytic-synthetic loop. Our implementation of this concept is based on the concept of "optical cortex and robotic interactive perception algorithms". This resemblance is so striking because it spans various levels of abstraction and matches. Indeed, this computational architecture enables predictions that match observations in humans.

The project aims to leverage the fact that biological and robotic perception are inextricably linked to action. We will systematically identify computational features of the human visual system and transferring them to the algorithmic side. At the same time, we want to replicate hypotheses about human vision in the robotic system and investigate if their behavior is validate and explain human perceptual functions.

Revealing information processing mechanisms for perception also promises to provide insights about what we called “principles” of intelligence. We will tackle the following questions to gain insights:

  • Is centralized or distributed approaches superior to the other? Or do they derive from differences in the substrate?
  • To what degree should information processing be influenced by the perceptual objective?
  • Does energetic economy relate to  perceptual efficiency?

 

Funding

This project is funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany's Excellence Strategy - EXC 2002/1 "Science of Intelligence" - project number 390523135.

Publications

2023

[en] Battaje, Aravind; Brock, Oliver; Rolfs, Martin
An interactive motion perception tool for kindergarteners (and vision scientists)
i-Perception, 14 (2) :20416695231159182
März 2023
ISSN: 2041-6695
Mengers, Vito; Battaje, Aravind; Baum, Manuel; Brock, Oliver
Combining Motion and Appearance for Robust Probabilistic Object Segmentation in Real Time
2023 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), Seite 683--689
IEEE
2023

2022

Battaje, Aravind; Brock, Oliver
One Object at a Time: Accurate and Robust Structure From Motion for Robots
Proceedings of IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS)
2022

2021

Battaje, Aravind; Brock, Oliver
Interconnected Recursive Filters in Artificial and Biological Vision
Proceedings of the DGR Days, Seite 32-32
2021