CuttleBot: Emulating Cuttlefish Behavior and Intelligence in a Novel Robot Design

Michael A. Pfeiffer, Sriskandha Kandimalla, Jiahe Liu, Katherine Hsu, Eleanore J. Kirshner, Alina Yuan, Hin Wai Lui, Jeffrey L. Krichmar

Abstract: The CuttleBot project aspires to encapsulate the sophisticated behavior of cuttlefish in a neurorobot. The long-term goal is to construct a machine that mirrors the unique intelligent behavior demonstrated by this invertebrate. The current CuttleBot prototype represents an early step towards realizing a robotic system capable of advanced environmental interaction and decision-making. Its custom-made shell demonstrates the camouflaging and signaling observed in cephalopods in response to environmental stimuli. Similar to cuttlefish, the CuttleBot hunts for prey and responds to predators with defensive behaviors. Cuttlefish are impressive learners. Therefore, reinforcement learning was implemented to learn the appropriate behavioral responses to predators (e.g., camouflage or hide) and prey (e.g., confuse and attack). By creating cognitive systems with insights from the natural world, the CuttleBot project lays the groundwork for an era of robotics that comprehends and interacts with the environment in ways that are as dynamic and complex as the biological entities that inspire it.