Robotics Capable of Development. Coordinate Seeds for Tolerance Fields, Relational Ontogeny, Physical Preconditioning and Learning World Organization
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This conceptual synthesis and discussion paper explores how robotic systems capable of long-term development might be conceived and designed when the central question is not maximum precision or the most complete possible world model, but which distinctions actually matter for a particular action and its consequences. Starting from everyday manipulation tasks, the paper develops conceptual tools such as tolerance fields, catchment regions and competence funnels. It examines how the design of bodies, mechanics, sensors and environments can physically prestructure complexity so that subsequent control and learning processes face a better-conditioned problem. This perspective is described in terms of physical preconditioning. The concepts of cut (Schnitt), cut literacy (Schnittkundigkeit) and coordinate seeds direct attention to how relevant distinctions and variables emerge, prove useful and remain revisable. An organization capable of development would not merely learn within predetermined categories but, under appropriate conditions, could also refine, combine or reopen its distinctions in response to the world. Further topics include adaptive perceptual resolution, learning from near-miss events, protected environments for exploration, the sedimentation of experience into presently effective competences, and relational and collective ontogeny. Everyday examples, connections to established research, proposed experiments and counter-hypotheses are used to open possible directions for technical and scientific investigation. The paper does not present a completed robotics architecture or a systematic literature review. Its proposed contribution is a conceptual synthesis of existing and further questions, a set of distinctions intended to prevent premature conflations, and potentially testable research directions. No claim of scientific priority over related work is made.
Author: Schadewitz, Michael
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7222877543
FWCI:
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: