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Integrating robotics and neuroscience: brains for robots, bodies for brains

Researchers in robotics and artificial intelligence have often looked at biology as a source of inspiration for solving their problems. From the opposite perspective, neuroscientists have recently turned their attention to the use of robotic systems as a way to quantitatively test and analyze theories that would otherwise remain at a speculative stage. Computational models of neurons and networks of neurons are often activated with simplified artificial patterns that bear little resemblance to natural stimuli. The use of robotic systems has the advantage of introducing phenotypic and environmental constraints similar to those that brains of animals have to face during development and in everyday life. Consideration of these constraints is particularly important in light of modern brain theories, which emphasize the importance of closing the perception/action loop between the agent and the environment. To provide concrete examples of the use of robotic systems in neuroscience, this paper reviews our work in the areas of sensory perception and motor learning. The interdisciplinary approach followed by this research establishes a direct link between natural sciences and engineering. This research can lead to the understanding of basic biological problems while producing robust and flexible systems that operate in the real world.