Such biologically inspired principles can improve the learning performance of robots, which in turn can provide insights into learning in animals. The technology to make better robots is not lacking. Robot manipulators are more dexterous than ever. Sensors are more accurate. Processors are faster and memory is less expensive.
Software is easier to write and maintain.
Despite these advances, engineers have not been able to develop robots that exhibit behavior as intelligent as that of animals and people. CWRU biologists plan to study simpler animals such as insects and mollusks. When these animals encounter new terrain or food, they quickly learn a new behavior. The biologists on the team will try to find out how these animals learn to do these tasks. Once we discover how the cockroach learns this, we can pass this information on to engineers who can use those rules to program robots.