Call for Proposals
Life-Like Perception Systems

The European Commission is preparing a call for proposals in the area of bionics. The domain of that call is "life-like perception systems". The call will be published sometime in 2001. The Commission has contracted a small team of experts to assist them in the preparation of the call. The terms of reference of that work are reproduced below. Those interested should follow the webpages of the Commission on the programme IST and its key action VI.

IST2001- VI. 2. 3 Life-like perception systems

Objective

To create integrated perception-response systems that are inspired by the sophistication of solutions adopted by living systems. "Perception" is meant to include sensorial, cognitive, control and response aspects, whether it refers to vision or hearing, or to any other type of interaction with the environment by a biological organism. Such systems would extend the capabilities of machines or be used to augment the human senses.

Focus

The focus is on a systems approach integrating perception with the appropriate action resulting thereof. This systems approach should prevail over specific implementation issues, for example over the intended use of such systems in robots or in humans. Desirable features include task-specific adaptability of the perception system, processes of association (e.g. memory), and fusion of sensory modalities. An understanding of the internal representation of real-world stimuli in biological systems is expected to be a key element of project work in this area. Work should consist of a balance of experimental and theoretical research and is expected to combine RTD in novel sensors, computational neuroscience, cognitive science, computer science, control, signal processing, cellular engineering, (bio)mechatronics (microrobotics and microsystems), and other areas.

1. Description of the task
   The work consists of two tasks:
   1. Stock-taking of the current status of research in the areas addressed by the initiative. More specifically, the following questions should be answered:
      • Is there a critical mass of research in Europe that will allow addressing the goals of the initiative effectively? What are the research communities that should be involved? How big are they? Which are the most prominent research groups - industrial or academic? How many could be expected to respond to a call for proposals in this area?
      • How does European research fare in these areas in comparison to research in the US, Japan or elsewhere? What are its strengths and weaknesses?
      • Are there any recent scientific or technological breakthroughs that should be taken into account in the definition of the initiative? Is the initiative timely given recent progress in the areas concerned?
      • What are the major programmes funding similar research in Europe? Will a focussed EU initiative of around 20 M? make a difference? In which areas would the return of investment be greatest?
      • Interdisciplinary approaches are an important issue in this initiative. Similar to the proactive initiative in neuroinformatics, advances in our understanding of the functioning of human perception could stimulate breakthroughs in robotic perception and vice versa. How can one foster interdisciplinary approaches in early stages of the planning? In particular how can one ensure collaboration between neuroscientists working on perception and IT when experience up to now suggests that collaborations are rare?
      • In order to raise awareness and interest of the research communities involved, what are the main scientific conferences or other meetings where the proactive initiative should be presented?
      • Summary: Under what conditions will the initiative provide significant added value to European research? What should be done to maximise this value?
   2. Drafting an information document on the initiative. The purpose of this document is to provide guidance to prospective proposers with background information about the action line description. It could contain:
      • Introduction: what the action line is about
      • The overall goals
      • Themes of work that are expected to contribute to the goals and/or research challenges that have to be addressed
      • Boundary conditions and interfaces to other proactive initiatives or programmes, e.g. in neuroinformatics