UNIVERSITY OF HERTFORDSHIRE
     
    COMPUTER SCIENCE RESEARCH COLLOQUIUM


                presents


          "EVOLUTION OF SENSORS"

                   
                speaker: 

           Dr. Daniel Polani 

      Adaptive Systems Research Group
       Computer Science Deparmtent
       University of Hertfordshire 


        2 October 2002 (Wednesday)

          Lecture Theatre E351
            Hatfield Campus
                3 - 4 pm 



 Coffee/tea and biscuits will be available.


        Everyone is Welcome to Attend
            [Space Permitting]


Abstract:

The environment of (biological or artificial) agents abounds 
with information. This information, judiciously used, can come 
at a relatively low cost and provide a significant advantage 
to an agent. To acquire this information, agents need sensors. 
The vast richness of sensors found in nature bear witness to 
the importance of information acquisition. As the result of 
evolution, they form a particularly intriguing example for the 
mechanisms that lead to the full exploitation of the environment 
to ensure an agent's performance. Its study provides a paradigmatic 
insight into the forces which drive evolution and to the 
importance of the role of information in this process.

The talk will give an introduction into the field of sensor 
evolution, its rationale and philosophy, and give a list of 
examples of (particularly biological) sensor evolution and also 
to approaches to artificial sensor evolution. Modern developments 
towards a theoretical characterisation of sensor evolution are 
sketched.


--
Hertfordshire Computer Science Research Colloquium Abstracts
On-line: http://homepages.feis.herts.ac.uk/~nehaniv/colloq/