Ashby's Mobile Homeostat

2^nd December 2014, 13:00 Ashton Lecture Theater
Dr Steve Battle
Sysemia Ltd
Bristol

Abstract

In his landmark book, Design for a Brain, William Ross Ashby speculates
about the possibility of creating a mobile homeostat "with its critical
states set so that it seeks situations of high illumination." This talk
explores an embedding of Ashby's homeostat within a simulated robot and
environment, exploring the question as to whether the classic homeostat
architecture is able to adapt to this environment. Remaining faithful to
the physical design of Ashby's device, this simulation enables us to
practically demonstrate Ashby's proposition that homeostasis can be
achieved through ultrastability.