SIGNAL

This is an EU-funded research project to develop basic methodologies and principles of systemic intelligence for artefacts such as robots that will be capable of steadily growing their knowledge through continued experience. The project involves four teams: one in the School of Computing at Napier University in Edinburgh, one in the Department of Neuroinformatics at the University of Bonn, one in the Austrian Research Institute for AI in Vienna and one at the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche Istituto per i Circuiti Elettronici in Genoa. The work being done at Napier includes research on novel models of memory, initially based on concepts such as artificial immune systems and Kanerva's sparse distributed memory, and working with the other partners to apply evolutionary computing ideas to study how some kind of systemic intelligence might `grow up'. The team in the University of Bonn will concentrate on neuroscience aspects and a robotic testbed. The team in Vienna will work on aspects to do with natural language aspects and AI. The team in Genoa will work on aspects to do with the psychology of learning. The project is funded under the EU's `Neuroinformatics for Living Artefacts' programme, and the focus is very much on basic research. The Napier University team is led by Peter Ross and Emma Hart.