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Bio-Inspired Robotics: A Spatial Cognition Model integrating Place Cells, Grid Cells and Head Direction Cells

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Abstract

The paper presents a bio-inspired robotics model for spatial cognition derived from neurophysiological and experimental studies in rats. The model integrates Hippocampus place cells providing long-term spatial localization with Enthorinal Cortex grid cells providing short-term spatial localization in the form of “neural odometry”. Head direction cells provide for orientation in the rat brain. The spatial cognition model is evaluated in simulation and experimentation showing a reduced number of localization errors during robot navigation when contrasted to previous versions of our model.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded in part by NSF IIS Robust Intelligence research collaboration grant #1117303 at USF and U. Arizona entitled “Investigations of the Role of Dorsal versus Ventral Place and Grid Cells during Multi-Scale Spatial Navigation in Rats and Robots,” and also supported in part by the “Agencia Nacional de Investigacion e Innovación (ANII)” and by the “Asociación Mexicana de Cultura, A. C.”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay

    Gonzalo Tejera

  2. Computer Science and Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA

    Martin Llofriu & Alfredo Weitzenfeld

  3. Departamento de Computación, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico

    Alejandra Barrera

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  1. Gonzalo Tejera
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  2. Martin Llofriu
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  4. Alfredo Weitzenfeld
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Correspondence to Alfredo Weitzenfeld.

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Tejera, G., Llofriu, M., Barrera, A. et al. Bio-Inspired Robotics: A Spatial Cognition Model integrating Place Cells, Grid Cells and Head Direction Cells. J Intell Robot Syst 91, 85–99 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10846-018-0852-2

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