Convergent Science Network Podcast

Moshe Bar (Harvard Medical School, Charlestown) argues for a cognitive model that blends expectation (top-down) and sensation (bottom-up) processing. With Paul Verschure he discusses also imagination, meditation, and depression treatment in this context.

Mandyam Srinivasan's research (University of Queensland, Brisbane) centers on vision and cognition of flying insects, especially bees. He discusses it with Paul Verschure and special guest Partha Mitra (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York).

Giovanni Pezzulo (Institute of Cognitive Sciences & Technologies, Rome) discusses with Paul Verschure the concept of the predictive brain that actively anticipates body movement.

Nick Strausfeld's interest (University of Arizona, Tucson) lies in evolution and comparative neurobiology. With Paul & Tony he discusses how common denominators of insect brains lead us to find core system architectures.

Guenther Knoblich's work (Central European University, Budapest) focuses on joint action like performed in team sports, and acrobatics. With Paul Verschure he discusses cognitive aspects of coordination, timing, and signalling while moving together.

Dmitri B. Chklovskii (Howard Hughes Medical Institute) discusses the idea of the brain as an adaptive filter, and what theoretical and experimental implications this approach entails.

Donald W. Pfaff heads the Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior at The Rokefeller University. With Paul Verschure he discusses the central role of the arousal system in mind, brain, and behavior.

Dana Ballard (University of Texas, Austin) argues that vision is agenda-driven, rather than saliency-driven alone. With Paul Verschure he discusses how the idea of gathering and integrating information quanta into a mental scene applies to a wider model.

Jon Kaas (Vanderbilt University) is an expert on the evolution of the brain. Together with Paul & Tony he discusses similarities in neural architectures between different species. [A technical problem affected the guest's recording up to minute 6

Maria Chiara Carozza (Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Italy) talks with Tony Prescott about the development of robotic prosthetic hands, exoskeletons, and skin, and the ways this could help people increase body movement control and rehabilitate.

Kevin O'Regan (Université Paris Descartes, France) theorizes building robots that can feel. Passing topics like sensory presence and sensorimotor laws, he and Paul Verschure reach the boundaries of what it means to 'feel'.

Yoseph Bar-Cohen (Jet Propulsion Lab, NASA) is an expert in the field of biomimetics. With Paul Verschure he discusses the influence of mountain goats on climbing robots, as well as the ways robotic technology is revolutionizing our society.

Main topics in Hillel Chiel's research (Case Western Reserve University, USA) are control systems, and biomechanics. With Paul Verschure he discusses how studying completely soft body control, like of tongues, can lead to finding main principles.

Joseph Ayers (Northeastern University) has moved from systems physiology to building robot lobsters, increasingly focusing on the interplay between the physiological, sensorimotor, and neural interplay of these animals' characteristics.

Huoseng Hu (University of Essex, UK) moved from industrial to service & field robotics. He discusses the building of robot fish with Tony Prescott, but also the development of a semi-robotic wheelchair controlled with thoughts.

Andy Philipides (University of Sussex, UK) studies insect navigation, as e.g. ants do. With Tony Prescott he discusses the importance of studying real ants in natural environments next to lab modeling, and themes like path integration and visual memory.

Mitra Hartmann (Northwestern University, USA) researches perception, particularly 'active sensing'. With Tony Prescott, a colleague in the field, she discusses what can be learnt from exploratory behavior like whisking, including behavior and biology.

Frank Grasso (Cognitive Robotics Lab, City University of New York) has extensively studied lobsters and cephalopods, and modeled with robots. With Tony Prescott he discusses sensing capabilities, control and learning capabilities of these animals.

Federico Carpi (University of Pisa, Italy) is an expert on robot body materials. With Tony Prescott he discusses the current development towards soft materials that can deform under electrical stimulation, and can act and sense at the same time.

Dom Massaro (University of California at santa Cruz) wants to test a bold claim: children can learn to read before they learn to talk. With Paul Verschure he discusses speech and reading perception, as well as changing language education in society.