What is Self Awareness?
This article offers one look at the notion of self awareness as it bears on the project of building cognitively sophisticated robots. A companion article addresses some simple objections.
International Workshop on Robot Cognition
With the support of the research arm of what was then known as BT Laboratories, in April 1998 I hosted an international workshop (IWRC ’98) exploring key technologies needed to create a cognitively sophisticated and — ultimately — self aware autonomous mobile robot.
The Chemistry Analogy
By way of an analogy comparing the levels of description associated with chemistry and quantum mechanics, this short paper outlines motivations for attempting to construct cognitively sophisticated robots even before all behaviours of the components which might be used in such an endeavour have been fully analysed.
External Participants in the International Workshop on Robot Cognition
The following biographical sketches were provided by workshop attendees in 1998 and are included here without modification.
Internal (BT) Participants in the International Workshop on Robot Cognition
The following biographical sketches were provided by workshop attendees in 1998 and are included here without modification.
Isn’t This (Just) AI?
This article reviews a few of the most glaring factors which differentiate my own aims for systems with self models from the bulk of existing work in Artificial Intelligence.
Photographs From IWRC ’98 in Lavenham, England
Here’s a small selection of photographs from the International Workshop on Robot Cognition in 1998, sponsored by BT.
Invitation Letter to Robot Cognition Workshop Participants
This was the formal invitation letter sent to all previously agreed participants in the 1998 International Workshop on Robot Cognition.
Objections and Replies on Self Awareness
This article covers a few simple objections which might immediately leap to mind about the self model approach described in ‘What is Self Awareness?’.
Why Study Robots?
This short paper offers one view on the two questions of 1) why anyone interested in improving computer hardware or software technology should be interested in robots and 2) why anyone should care about engineering self awareness.
Agenda (Draft) for IWRC ’98
The final agenda for the workshop differed slightly from this draft of early April 1998
Sections Available
- Research Archive
- About the Research Archive
- Drafts and Unfinished Papers
- International Workshop on Robot Cognition
- Agenda (Draft) for IWRC ’98
- External Participants in the International Workshop on Robot Cognition
- Internal (BT) Participants in the International Workshop on Robot Cognition
- Invitation Letter to Robot Cognition Workshop Participants
- Isn’t This (Just) AI?
- Objections and Replies on Self Awareness
- Photographs From IWRC ’98 in Lavenham, England
- The Chemistry Analogy
- What is Self Awareness?
- Why Study Robots?
- Mind Out of Matter
- Research Bibliography
- Supplementary Bibliography from Mind Out of Matter
- Tutorials and Introductions
This article was originally published by on and was last reviewed or updated by Dr Greg Mulhauser on .