To achieve this, two streams of research need to merge, one concerned with physical systems specifically designed to interact with unconstrained environments and another focussing on control architectures that explicitly take into account the need to acquire and use experience.The merging of these two areas has brought about the field of Cognitive Robotics. This is a multi-disciplinary science that draws on research in adaptive robotics as well as cognitive science and artificial intelligence, and often exploits models based on biological cognition.
Cognitive robots achieve their goals by perceiving their environment, paying attention to the events that matter, planning what to do, anticipating the outcome of their actions and the actions of other agents, and learning from the resultant interaction. They deal with the inherent uncertainty of natural environments by continually learning, reasoning, and sharing their knowledge.
A key feature of cognitive robotics is its focus on predictive capabilities to augment immediate sensory-motor experience. Being able to view the world from someone else’s perspective, a cognitive robot can anticipate that person’s intended actions and needs. This applies both during direct interaction (e.g. a robot assisting a surgeon in theatre) and indirect interaction (e.g. a robot stacking shelves in a busy supermarket).
In cognitive robotics, the robot body is more than just a vehicle for physical manipulation or locomotion: it is a component of the cognitive process. Thus, cognitive robotics is a form of embodied cognition which exploits the robot’s physical morphology, kinematics, and dynamics, as well as the environment in which it is operating, to achieve its key characteristic of adaptive anticipatory interaction.
Our TC has been awarded the 2025 Most Active Technical Committee Award!
This recognition reflects our collective efforts to advance the cognitive robotics community through various initiatives and events. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all who have contributed: this success would not have been possible without the many events organized by our members in the past year.
The award was received at the Awards Luncheon at ICRA 2025 in Atlanta, USA by some of the TC co-chairs: Micheal Beetz, Tetsunari Inamura, and Jean Oh!
The Technical Committee exists to foster links between the fields of robotics, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence. Our goal is to establish and promote the methodologies and tools required to make the field of cognitive robotics industrially and socially relevant.
As of January 2025, the Technical Committee for Cognitive Robotics has 273 active members, many of which are listed on the Members page.
If you are currently studying or working in the cognitive robotics field or are interested in deepening your knowledge on the topic and contributing to the community’s growth, you can apply to become an active member of the TC through this form. The TC Co-Chairs will evaluate your request and notify you of the outcome.
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