Robotic or bio-inspired: A comparison

Abstract

The last four chapters have discussed the mapping and navigation problem and the range of system solutions that exist both in the animal world and on robot platforms. There are many forces driving the diversity that is apparent when examining these systems. In nature, creatures and their navigation systems have evolved to suit their environments and their own physical and sensory characteristics. In the natural world, the range of body types, sensory equipment, environments, and lifestyles has produced a myriad of solutions to the problems facing a creature that needs to move around effectively in its environment. Likewise in the research labs of robotics researchers and the domestic home or industrial workplace, mapping and navigation systems have developed in ways to suit the environments, the sensors available and the purpose of the robot. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.