Knowbotic Interface Project



PD: Overview


This is a working paper which will probably be rewritten several times in the next months



AUTHOREN: Gerd Döben-Henisch, Leo Pos und Thore Swindall
FIRST DATE: December 27, 1995
DATE of LAST CHANGE: May-14, 1996


  1. A Knowbotic Interface is a computerprogram which can be operated either in single-user mode, i.e. as a stand alone program, or in multiuser mode using the internet and the World Wide Web as communication channel.

  2. A Knowbotic Interface contains at least the following three elements:

    • an artificial environment called world.
    • a human-like agent called knowbot.
    • an agent functioning as the representative of the human user appearing in the world like a knowbot but acting as a teacher called a pseudo-knowbot.
    • There can be more than two agents living in the world, and there can be agents which are simulating different kinds of animals and different kinds of vehicles.


  3. In the net version has every Knowbotic Interface knowledge of all the other Knowbotic Interfaces using the same world. The agents of one Knowbotic Interface are represented in the other Knowbotic Interfaces as 'ghosts'. This allows a direct interaction between all agents.

  4. Every agent has at a certain time a distinct position and a distinct orientation in the world.

  5. Every agent has a definit set of receptors or sensors which can register certain types of events in the environment of the agent.



  6. Every agent has an open set of possible actions which he can realize in the world.

    • Every agent can at least move his body around, can spread some typical odour, and can produce sounds as well as typical secretions.
    • Human-like agents can produce language-like sounds.
    • In later versions will human-like agents be able to move hands and arms, to handle objects, to move legs etc.
    • Agents can change their environment by interacting mechanically with other objects.


  7. The world of a Knowbotic Interface is a 3-dimensional world with the following elements:

    • there are different types of grounds like sand, water, gras etc.
    • there are different types of individual objects like stones, plants, animals, vehicles etc.
    • there are several common parameters like light, temperature, humidity, and wind.


  8. The user-interface allows the direct control of all elements of a Knowbotic Interface. Especially:

    • During the start of a simulation in the Knowbotic Interface can the user set several parameters related to the world and the selected agents. This includes the definition of certain testprotocolls which can be evaluated after the simulation.
    • In a world-map window the user can look in a map-fashion from any point onto the world. This view can accompanied by sound.
    • In a user-directed-agent (pseudo-knowbot, vehicle, animal) window the user can look through the sensors of the agent into the world. This view can accompanied by sound.
    • in an agent window the user can look through the eyes of a selected agent (knowbot, animal) into the world. This view can accompanied by sound.
    • In a world-parameter window can the user control all important world-parameters like light, temperature, humidity, number of plants, number of agents etc.
    • In a user-directed-agent-parameter window can the user control the sensory-data received by the body of his agent as well as some additional parameters.
    • In an agent-parameter window can the user control all the inner states of the agent including -in case of a knowbot- the memory, the planning capacity, the drives and emotions, and the language capacity.
    • In a user-defined protocol window can the user control all the testparameters which he has set in the beginning of the simulation.
    • During the simulation can the user interrupt the simulation at any moment and rearrange the whole system.
    • With a simple world-editor the user can create new worlds or change existing worlds.
    • With a simple object-editor the user can create new objects or change existing ones.






Comments are welcome to doeb@inm.de




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