We have now progressed from a vague concept to an actual working robot. This transformation was made possible by several insights. First, we applied the methodology of breaking an activity into component behaviors. Next, we codified these behaviors as simple situation-action rules. Finally, we cast the rules into circuitry based on a plausible neural model. These same steps can be applied to other creatures with other behaviors. You might try designing some yourself, at least on paper. Extending this line of research to ever larger, more complex creatures is a promising path for developing a deeper understanding of our own minds.

Below are some sources for more information on animals and robots:

• Vehicles
  by Valentino Braitenburg, MIT Press, Cambridge MA, 1986.
  - discusses how simple creatures might be constructed based on biological principles

• Minimalist Mobile Robotics
  by Jonathan Connell, Academic Press, Cambridge MA, 1990.
  - describes a more sophisticated robot built by the author while at MIT

• Mind Children
  by Hans Moravec, Harvard University Press, Cambridge MA, 1988.
  - speculates on the future of robots and their relation to human society

• The Study of Instinct
  by Niko Tinbergen, Oxford University Press, Oxford England, 1951.
  - examines the nature of animal behavior and analyzes its components

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