Patent ID: 7478073
Filing Date: 2009-01-13
Classification: G06N

Abstract:
1. A computer readable medium encoded with computer program instructions which cause a processor to execute a method of generating control signals for controlling action of a sensory-motor apparatus, comprising: determining the value (S(t)) of a set of one or more sensory variables (S) representative of information about an environment of said sensory-motor apparatus; outputting a set of one or more control signals (M(t)) configured to control action of said sensory-motor apparatus; calculating a respective reward (R(v,t)) associated with each of a plurality of candidate values (M deciding, which value should be taken by said set of control signals (M(t)), by analyzing the reward values calculated for respective different values (M wherein the calculating of respective rewards comprises: performing a history-dependent calculation to calculate the value of said at least one task-independent motivational variable (mot either: a) applying a history-dependent function (g) to at least one sensory-motor variable of said set, said history-dependent function (g) depending on one or more time-varying internal parameters in the computation of the at least one motivational variable (moti), or b) applying a function (f) to values (SM(t),SM(t−1)) taken at different times by at least one sensory-motor variable of said set, predicting, for each of said plurality of candidate values of said control signals (M), values of sensory-motor variables (SM) and of said set of motivational variables (mot calculating, for each of the plurality of candidate values (M wherein the outputting step comprises outputting the set of control signals chosen in the deciding step based on said reward values calculated in the calculating step.