NON-LINEAR DYNAMICS AND ROBOTS: FROM NEURONS TO COGNITION

Dates: August 4-8, 2008

 

Title:     NON-LINEAR DYNAMICS AND ROBOTS: FROM NEURONS TO COGNITION

 

Place: Euroforum-UCM Summer Programme Resort, El Escorial, Madrid (Spain)

 

Director:     Manuel G. VELARDE, Instituto Pluridisciplinar, UCM

                  Paseo Juan XXIII, 1, Madrid 28040

                  Teléfono: (34) 91 394 3242, Fax: (34) 91 394 3243

                  E-mail: mgvelarde@pluri.ucm.es, http://www.ucm.es/info/fluidos

                  (secretary email: mjmartin@pluri.ucm.es)

Co-director: Paolo ARENA, Coordinator SPARK II, University of Catania, Italy

                  Email: parena@diees.unict.it

Secretary:   Valeri A. MAKAROV

Assistant Secretary (SPARK-EUcognition link): Luca PATANÈ

Editors Lecture Notes: Paolo ARENA and Manuel G. VELARDE

 

Lecturers/Workshop Speakers:

1.      Manuel G. Velarde (Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Instituto Pluridisciplinar)

Introduction: From dynamical systems to lattices and reaction-diffusion models. From neurons and brains to robots. What is intelligence about? (Analog versus digital computers)

2.      Paolo Arena (University of Catania, Italy)

         Spatial-temporal patterns and perception in Bio-inspired-robots

3.      Alberto Ferrus (Cajal Institute, CSIC, Madrid)

         Inhibition in sensory inputs

4.      Holk Cruse (University of Bielefeld, Germany)

Getting cognitive: from 1st order embodiment to 2nd order embodiment (and beyond)

5.      Pablo Gonzalez de Santos (Instituto de Automatica, CSIC, Arganda, Madrid)

         Engineering-inspired robots

6.      Jose-Antonio Martin-Pereda (Universidad Politecnica Madrid)

         Connections between visual perception and nonlinear photonic structures

7.      Giacomo Rizzolatti (University of Parma, Italia)

         Cognition and motor system

8.      Roland Strauss (University of Mainz, Germany)

         Neurogenetics and cognitive capabilities in Drosophyla Melanogaster

 

Tutorial sessions:

9.      Ezequiel del Rio (IP-UCM and UPM, Madrid)

         A prototype six-legged (insect-like) robot

10.    Ramon Huerta (UCS, USA and UAM, Madrid)

         Computational design of the olfactory system

11.    Valeri A. Makarov (IP-UCM, Madrid)

i. Processing neurodata (alternative methodologies); ii. Recurrent neural networks (RNN), memory and learning

12.    Luca Patanè (University of Catania, Italy)

         Rovers and legged robots: architectures and bio-inspired control algorithms

13.    Malte Schilling (University of Bielefeld, Germany)

Emergence of internal models in action control: using recurrent neural networks (RNN) for representation of body structures

14.    Joseph Schmitz (University of Bielefeld, Germany)

         Neurobiological foundations of hexapod locomotion in insects and robots

15.    Pablo Varona (UAM, Madrid)

         From single cells to neural systems (complex information processing)

 

General audience open session with demonstrations and exhibit of videos followed by general discussion on neurodynamics, neural networks, cognition, intelligence and robotics

         Coordinator and key-note speaker: Luigi Fortuna (University of Catania, Italy)

 

Dissemination: general audience public lecture

         Speaker: Giacomo Rizzolatti (University of Parma, Italia)