The document discusses various approaches to realizing biological autonomy through different types of embodiment. Real-life examples include quantifying autonomy in fly exploration behavior. Computational embodiment using embodied chaotic itinerancy is proposed for robot design but requires more elaboration. Chemical embodiment is shown to produce simple autonomous behavior in self-propelled oil droplets, but more behavior variations and recycling of energy are needed for true biological autonomy.

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2. “Fluctuation of sensorimotor performance”, “Capricious
behaviors”, “Mind-Wandering”, “Stimulus Independent
Thoughts”,,,,
These are the phrases that characterize “biological autonomy”,
which we think distinguish life from man-made machines. But the
biological autonomy can’t be simply attributed to the internal
dynamics of a system. We need to many different ways of
realizing embodiment; chemical, physical and computational
embodiment to understand the biological autonomy.
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3. Physical embodiment
Music robots “Miuro” by ZMP (2007)
Physical embodiment
Grey Walter’s turtle robots (1951)
Computational embodiment
by Keisuke Suzuki and T.Ikegami (2005)
Chemical embodiment
Hanczyc et al. (2007)
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4. motor output
+ = an autonomous agent
sensory pattern
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5. motor output
sensory pattern
= An individual
crystallizing “rule”
fluctuating background dynamics
as a generator of variations,
which leads to embodied chaotic
itinerancy
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6. Quantifying, Designing and Synthesizing
biological autonomy
i) Quantifying housefly’s autonomous behavior (real life)
Takahashi, H. Horibe, N, Ikegami, T and Shimada, M, ”Analyzing House Fly’s
Exploration Behaviorwith AR methods” (submitted to JPSJ, physics/0702170).
ii) Theory of Autonomy (computational embodiment)
Ikegami, T. Simulating Active Perception and Mental Imagery with Embodied
Chaotic Itinerancy, J.Consciousness Studies Vol.14 (2007) ppp.111-125.)
iii) Designing Autonomy with zmp robot (physical embodiment)
Making a Robot Dance to Music Using Chaotic Itinerancy in a Network of FitzHugh-
Nagumo Neurons” by Jean-Julien Aucouturier, Yuta Ogai, Takashi Ikegami
iv) Emergence of autonomy in oil droplet (chemical
embodiment) Hanczyc, M., Toyota,T., Ikegami, T., Packard, N. and
Sugawara, T. " Chemistry at the oil-water interface: Self-propelled oil droplets"J. Am. Chem.
Soc.; (2007); 129(30) pp 9386 - 939.
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7. Autonomy in Exploring Behavior of flies
Takahashi, H. Horibe, N, Ikegami, T and Shimada, M, ”Analyzing a House Fly’s Exploration Behavior with
AutoRegression methods” (submitted to JPSJ, physics/0702170).
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9. Temporal evolution of AR dimensions
velocity
heading angle
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10. Anomalous diffusion? w/o sugar droplets
(a) with sugar droplets (b) without sugar droplets
2 a
<x>=t
a=1.55
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11. Random walks and Levy flights observed in fluid flows
ER Weeks and HL Swinney, formerly online at Nonlinear Science Today (Springer-Verlag, 1998).
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12. Coupling/Decoupling phenomena:
Swinderen, V. Bruno, Nitz, A. Douglas, Greenspan, J. Ralph (2004), ‘Uncoupling
of brain activity from movement defines arousal states in Drosophila’, Current
Biology, 14, pp.81–87
The correlation between local
field potentials (LFPs) in the
brain and overt movements of
the fruit fly during different
states of arousal, such as
spontaneous daytime waking
movement, visual arousal,
spontaneous night-time
movement, and stimulus-
induced movement.
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13. These experiments indicate that the relationship between brain LFPs and movement
in the fruit fly is dynamic and that the degree of coupling between these two
measures of activity defines distinct states of arousal. It has been observed that
neural activities (20-30Hz) can be coupled/decoupled from the apparent bodily
movement.
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14. Theory of Autonomy:
Ikegami, T. Simulating Active Perception and Mental Imagery with Embodied
Chaotic Itinerancy, J.Consciousness Studies Vol.14 (2007) ppp.111-125.
There are two kinds of neurons: One that emits fast pulse signals and one emits slow
pulse signals.
Internal Neuron
(16)
Output Neuron
(2+2)
Input Neuron
(10)
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15. Integrated activity
input neuron activities
internal neuron activities
time (t) 15

16. Associated navigation pattern
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17. A message from this theoretical work:
Embodied Chaotic Itinerancy is an inevitable outcome of
coupled unstable neural dynamics. The outcome of such
unstable dynamics is the attachment-detachment switching
described here.When an agent is attached to the
environment, it intends to process the sensory data flow.
When it is detached, it obeys its internal dynamics. We
claim that conscious states emerge when a subject
spontaneously selects one of the two phases.
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18. Making a Robot Dance to Music Using Chaotic Itinerancy in a Network of FitzHugh-Nagumo
Neurons” by Jean-Julien Aucouturier, Yuta Ogai, Takashi Ikegami (ICONIP2007)
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20. Chemical Embodiment
Chemistry at the oil-water interface: Self-propelled oil droplets
Hanczyc,M. Toyota,T, Ikegami,T. Packard,N. and Sugawara, T. J. Am. Chem. Soc.;
(2007); 129(30) pp 9386 - 939.
At room temp
Oleic anhydride
H2 O
Oleic acid 2
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21. The system consists simply of an oil droplet in an aqueous environment. The aqueous
phase contains a surfactant that modulates the interfacial tension between the drop of oil
and its environment. We embed a chemical reaction in the oil phase that reacts with
water when an oily precursor comes in contact with the water phase at the liquid-liquid
interface.
Here is an example of self-running oil droplet. (thanks to Martin Hanczyc)
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22. This reaction not only powers the droplet to move in the aqueous phase but also allows for
sustained movement. The direction of the movement is governed by a self-generated pH
gradient that surrounds the droplet. In addition this self-generated gradient can be overridden
by an externally imposed pH gradient, and therefore the direction of droplet motion may be
controlled.
this movie is due to Martin Hanczyc.(ProtLife s.r.l.)
the size of the droplet is a few 100 um.
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23. Also we noticed that convection flow is generated inside the oil droplet to cause the movement. We
can observe that the droplet senses the gradient in the environment (either internally generated or
externally imposed) and moves predictably within the gradient as a form of primitive chemotaxis.
A possible mechanism of the self-movement was studied with the Navier-Stokes equation with the
chemical reaciton. see Hiroki Matsuno, Martin M. Hanczyc, and Takashi Ikegami, “ Self-maintained
Movements of Droplets with Convection Flow” in the proceedings of the 3rd Australian Artificial
Conference (2007).
Fluorescent micrograph of a self-
moving oil droplet with internal
convection. Visible are the dye-filled
internal compartments that formed and
An internal convection flow is observed. moved convectively within the oil
droplet. The size of this droplet is
nearly 0.3mm in diameter.
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25. Summary:
Real Life: Quantification of autonomy is given by the spontaneous alternation of AR
dimension and the anomalous diffusion with a fly’s exploring behavior.
Computational embodiment: We then showed that embodied chaotic itinerancy (ECI)
can be used for designing an autonomous robot (physical embodiment).
Finally we showed that the simple autonomy emerges from chemical embodiment.
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26. Summary:
Real Life: Quantification of autonomy is given by the spontaneous alternation of AR
dimension and the anomalous diffusion with a fly’s exploring behavior.
Yes. But see “Self-Motile Colloidal Particles: From Directed
Propulsion to RandomWalk” Jonathan R. Howse,1 Richard A. L.
Jones,* Anthony J. Ryan,Tim Gough, Reza Vafabakhsh, and Ramin
Golestanian
Computational embodiment: We then showed that embodied chaotic itinerancy (ECI)
can be used for designing an autonomous robot (physical embodiment).
Finally we showed that the simple autonomy emerges from chemical embodiment.
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27. Summary:
Real Life: Quantification of autonomy is given by the spontaneous alternation of AR
dimension and the anomalous diffusion with a fly’s exploring behavior.
Yes. But see “Self-Motile Colloidal Particles: From Directed
Propulsion to RandomWalk” Jonathan R. Howse,1 Richard A. L.
Jones,* Anthony J. Ryan,Tim Gough, Reza Vafabakhsh, and Ramin
Golestanian
Computational embodiment: We then showed that embodied chaotic itinerancy (ECI)
can be used for designing an autonomous robot (physical embodiment).
But the idea of computational embodiment needs
to be elaborated further.
Finally we showed that the simple autonomy emerges from chemical embodiment.
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28. Summary:
Real Life: Quantification of autonomy is given by the spontaneous alternation of AR
dimension and the anomalous diffusion with a fly’s exploring behavior.
Yes. But see “Self-Motile Colloidal Particles: From Directed
Propulsion to RandomWalk” Jonathan R. Howse,1 Richard A. L.
Jones,* Anthony J. Ryan,Tim Gough, Reza Vafabakhsh, and Ramin
Golestanian
Computational embodiment: We then showed that embodied chaotic itinerancy (ECI)
can be used for designing an autonomous robot (physical embodiment).
But the idea of computational embodiment needs
to be elaborated further.
Finally we showed that the simple autonomy emerges from chemical embodiment.
We need more behavior variations for biological autonomy. Also
recycling of energy is a big problem here.
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