5 . Modeling the Biological Prototypes

Intelligent behavior is characterized by flexible and creative pursuit of endogenously defined goals. It has emerged in humans through the stages of evolution that are manifested in the brains and behaviors of other animals. Intentionality is a key concept by which to link brain dynamics to goal-directed behavior. The archetypal form of intentional behavior is an act of observation through time and space, by which information is sought for the guidance of future action. Sequences of such acts constitute the key desired property of freeroving, semi-autonomous devices capable of exploring remote environments that are inhospitable for humans. Intentionality consists of the neurodynamics by which images are created of future states as goals, of command sequences by which to act in pursuit of goals, of predicted changes in sensory input resulting from intended actions (reafference) by which to evaluate performance, and modification of the device by itself for learning from the consequences of its intended actions. These principles are well known among psychologists and philosophers. What is new is the development of nonlinear mesoscopic brain dynamics, by which using chaos theory to understand and simulate the construction of meaningful patterns of neural activity that implement the perceptual process of observation. The prototypic hardware realization of intelligent behavior is already apparent in certain classes of robots. The chaotic neurodynamics of sensory cortices in pattern recognition is ready for hardware embodiments, which are needed to provide the eyes, noses and ears of devices for survival and autonomous operation in complex and unpredictable environments.