title: A systematic analysis of the Braitenberg vehicle 2b for point-like stimulus sources.
abstract: Braitenberg vehicles have been used experimentally for decades in robotics with limited empirical understanding. This paper presents the first mathematical model of the vehicle 2b, displaying so-called aggression behaviour, and analyses the possible trajectories for point-like smooth stimulus sources. This sensory-motor steering control mechanism is used to implement biologically grounded target approach, target-seeking or obstacle-avoidance behaviour. However, the analysis of the resulting model reveals that complex and unexpected trajectories can result even for point-like stimuli. We also prove how the implementation of the controller and the vehicle morphology interact to affect the behaviour of the vehicle. This work provides a better understanding of Braitenberg vehicle 2b, explains experimental results and paves the way for a formally grounded application on robotics as well as for a new way of understanding target seeking in biology.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Neuroinformatik, Ruhr-Universität-Bocum, Bochum, Germany. inaki.rano@ini.rub.de
authors.forename: Iñaki
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rañó
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001185:Artificial Intelligence; D040761:Biomimetic Materials; D032701:Biomimetics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D008954:Models, Biological; D018986:Motor Vehicles; D012371:Robotics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014159:Transducers