Robot navigation as hierarchical active inference. (October 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Çatal, Ozan; Verbelen, Tim; Van de Maele, Toon; Dhoedt, Bart; Safron, Adam
• Is Part Of: Neural networks. Volume 142(2021)
• Page Start: 192
• Page End: 204
• Publication Date: 2021-10
• Subjects: Active inference -- Robot navigation -- SLAM -- RatSLAM -- Deep learning; Neural computers -- Periodicals; Neural networks (Computer science) -- Periodicals; Neural networks (Neurobiology) -- Periodicals; Nervous System -- Periodicals; Ordinateurs neuronaux -- Périodiques; Réseaux neuronaux (Informatique) -- Périodiques; Réseaux neuronaux (Neurobiologie) -- Périodiques; Neural computers; Neural networks (Computer science); Neural networks (Neurobiology); Periodicals; 006.32
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neunet.2021.05.010
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0893-6080

Abstract

Abstract: Localization and mapping has been a long standing area of research, both in neuroscience, to understand how mammals navigate their environment, as well as in robotics, to enable autonomous mobile robots. In this paper, we treat navigation as inferring actions that minimize (expected) variational free energy under a hierarchical generative model. We find that familiar concepts like perception, path integration, localization and mapping naturally emerge from this active inference formulation. Moreover, we show that this model is consistent with models of hippocampal functions, and can be implemented in silico on a real-world robot. Our experiments illustrate that a robot equipped with our hierarchical model is able to generate topologically consistent maps, and correct navigation behaviour is inferred when a goal location is provided to the system.