MINSKY@AI.AI.MIT.EDU (Marvin Minsky) (08/08/88)
Date: Wed, 3 Aug 88 00:15 EDT From: Marvin Minsky <MINSKY@AI.AI.MIT.EDU> Subject: Response to - Ornithology as an AI domain To: AILIST@AI.AI.MIT.EDU, MINSKY@AI.AI.MIT.EDU, paul.rutgers.edu!pratt@RUTGERS.EDU In-reply-to: Msg of Tue 2 Aug 1988 18:19-EDT from AIList Moderator Nick Papadakis <AIList-REQUEST at ai.ai.mit.edu> Have you considered ethology, rather than ecology? There is a world of things to do in that realm, because the traditional models of animal behavior are based on virtually no methodology. For example, Tinbergen and later workers have described hypothetical mechanisms involved in building bird nests - but no one knows how adequate they are. A great research thesis would be to see if the sorts of computational structures proposed by ethologists could actually build a respectable nest, using some sensors, robot manipulators, and suitable behavioral control structures. I have a couple of students simulating various sorts of animal behavior, but there is a whole unexplored universe there. - minsky