Emergence of Leadership in a Group of Autonomous Robots

Emergence of Leadership in a Group of Autonomous Robots

Francesco Pugliese, Alberto Acerbi & Davide Marocco
PLoS ONE, September 2015

Abstract:
In this paper we examine the factors contributing to the emergence of leadership in a group, and we explore the relationship between the role of the leader and the behavioural capabilities of other individuals. We use a simulation technique where a group of foraging robots must coordinate to choose between two identical food zones in order to forage collectively. Behavioural and quantitative analysis indicate that a form of leadership emerges, and that groups with a leader are more effective than groups without. Moreover, we show that the most skilled individuals in a group tend to be the ones that assume a leadership role, supporting biological findings. Further analysis reveals the emergence of different “styles” of leadership (active and passive).

My summer class (thoroughly modern Angus edition)

I'm teaching principles of micro this summer. 8:00 - 10:00 am daily. I know.

My text is Cowen & Tabarrok, which I like a lot, but I'm using a lot of other stuff as well.

The day before a topic, students watch a couple videos from the excellent Khan Academy series on microeconomics. I try to keep the total amount of video time here at 20 minutes or less. Then they take an online quiz over the material.

In class, I start with a mini-presentation introducing the topic and dealing with comprehension issues that the quiz may have revealed.

During the class period, we take breaks in the presentation for the class to answer, multiple choice, short answer, graphing, or essay questions that I deliver to them via their phones or tablets or laptops. The software I'm using here is called Learning Catalytics.

This way, students get instant feedback on what they are understanding and not understanding, and I get a chance to see right away how to shape the class time towards what is causing them trouble.

I really love this approach.

The Cowen & Tabarrok book comes with extensive online resources that I use a lot. Plus they get right to the point and don't mess around with a lot of extraneous stuff that principles students don't need or that isn't quite right.

The students like the Khan Academy videos, and they free me up from having to do a lot of numerical examples of where demand and supply and cost curves come from in class.

But the star I think is the Learning Catalytics software. When I have the right question prepared, it can really crack open the problem students are having and lead to a greatly improved level of understanding of the material.

This has happened both yesterday on the topic of externalities and today on the topic of economic vs. accounting profit. It just lets me see what they are thinking and how to better re-address the issue. I've also found students are more willing to speak up after we've done a question, displayed the results and discussed the answers.

Even with the 8:00 am start, I am having a blast and feel good about what we are learning.

DWIM

You may know the piece of computer jargon, "DWIM."

It's an acronym for "Do What I Mean."  Of course, computers can only do what we SAY; they really can't tell what we mean.  The LMM DWIMs all the time (yes, DWIM can be a verb).

I had just asked her to remind me to Skype with the EYM (he's in Chile) on Sunday at 4 or 5.

She wanted to display her virtuosity with computers (We saw "The Internship" last night, so we're feeling pretty post-millenial).  So, she woke up SIRI, and said, "Remind me to tell Michael to SKYPE on Sunday at 4 or 5."

Of course, the computer "brain" has no way of understanding what "4 or 5" means.  SIRI could do it at 4, or at 5, or at any specific time.  But "remind me later" is a DWIM move; no way SIRI can do that.

I was staying very quiet so I could eavesdrop on the resulting hilarity.  But SIRI just punted, and said she would "Remind you to tell Michael to SKYPE at forty-five," which doesn't mean anything.  A missed opportunity.

My Bromance with Eric Mazur

People, it's all come out in the open now. I've been publicly outed. You can see the spicy details right here.

Gadgets. LOTS of Gadgets, From Koopa

Koopa sends this email:

Thought you might like this. I put together for a friend, and then ended up posting on Facebook. Have talked to a lot of you about these gadgets. Feel free to forward.How I Turned Our Apartment Into the Jetsons
  As a lot of people know, I recently bought a boatload of gadgets for our apartment. A bunch of folks have been asking me about these devices, so I figured I would do a quick post.
 The goal was to make our day-to-day living hyper efficient, through three processes:
 a. Automation - I've automated a lot of my daily routines.
b. Go Wireless - We've upgraded a lot of items to make them wireless. These devices communicate with our network, and help me track more data.
 c. Go Faster - There are two components to "go faster". Either a gadget completes an existing function more quickly, or it subsumes another function in a more efficient manner.  Here's the list (below the fold):

The Fidelity Belly

CDs are dying, because they've fallen into the dreaded fidelity belly.

Say what?

You heard the man.

Maybe a picture would help?

Isn't that better?

LPs beat them on quality and digital recordings beat them on convenience so, so long to "perfect sound forever".

I don't think this is right.

CDs killed off Vinyl as a mass market product and MP3 players then killed off CDs. All because of convenience.

Vinyl has made a resurgence among hipsters, youth, hard-core audiophiles, and folks who want to roll the perfect blunt, but it is very much a niche product and will remain one.

By the way, if you have a hipster, youth, or blunt roller on your shopping list, the NY Times has some advice for you.
 

The House of the Rising Sun--Tesla

Apropos of nothing, I predict that reactions to this video will divide largely along gender lines. Women will mostly think, "That's pretty stupid." And men will mostly think, "Where can I get one? And can I use it as a combination stereo/security system?"

Blackberries Cause Traffic Accidents

The effect, 40%, seems implausible. Still, interesting.

The original article in the UAE paper, THE NATIONAL.

Nod to the Blonde.

This can't be right....

This can't be right, can it?

Of course, if it were right, it might be useful. You wouldn't need to take
specific things along, you could just fabricate what you need when you get there.

The LMM is wondering if it can replicate a husband that picks up wet towels. I said no, it only makes actual copies. So the LMM is now wondering if it can make George Clooney.

Markets in everything / there is no stagnation

Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, I give you the The Breed'n Betsy bovine rectal simulator!

Oh you know it's real!

And, for an extra fee you can get the optional "water rectum" for a more realistic feel!

Hey Tyler: How many of these babies were in the kitchens of the 1950s?

My Blackberry is Frozen

I have to admit, this made me think of frequent reader Shirley...


UPDATE: Just got an email from Shirley saying power was out and she had no internet connection. Made me spit tea all over my keyboard. Either it was a miraculous email, or perhaps the power and internet are working after all. (No, she does not have an internet enabled phone).

Pretty Cute: Prez Obama Wishes My Niece "Happy Birthday"

My niece, Elle Sandifer, gets happy birthday wishes from our Prez himself.


A video from after; Elle is on the right.

"OMG!! He's so REAL..." Whatever else you think of the Prez, he is pretty smooth in these sorts of gigs.

Feeling Old

Not even 30 years old...and antiques?

Balance

Can your robot do THIS?

Inverted Pendulum from Tensor on Vimeo.

I think... NOT!

(nod to @jrhorn424 )

Spammer Test

"But what about all the actual non-bot humans who won't be able to join the community, because they're incapable of making remotely accurate judgments about what is constructive ... Oh!"

(Nod to frequent, sometimes constructive, commenter Tom, who suggested the whole thing)

Porn, However, Will Still Be Available.

The TSA is set to block "controversial opinion" from work computers.

(Nod to the NCM)

The Culture that is Japan / Markets in everything

People, meet the latest Japanese import to cause a stir in the States. He's Paro, the therapy robot.

From today's WSJ:

Five years ago, a Japanese robot manufacturer introduced Paro to the world. Built to resemble a baby harp seal—with a plush coat of antibacterial fur—Paro was hailed in Japan as a pioneer among socially interactive robots, one that would help lift the spirits of millions of elderly adults.

It never quite caught on. "It doesn't do much other than utter weird sounds like 'heeee' or 'huuuu,'" says Tomoko Iimura, whose adult day-care center in Tsukuba City keeps its Paro in a closet.

Now Paro has come to American shores, appearing in a handful of nursing homes and causing a stir in a way that fake seal pups rarely do.

Nursing-home workers and academics who study human-robot interaction are trying to figure out whether the $6,000 seal, cleared last fall by U.S. regulators as a Class 2 medical device (a category that includes powered wheelchairs) represents a disturbing turn in our treatment of the elderly or the best caregiving gadget since the Clapper.

The Journal article debates the ethics of using Paro, which I am not sure I understand.

I just love the weirdness of it.

Are baby seals often kept as pets in Japan?

The article also says that most sales in Japan have been to private citizens living in buildings that don't allow pets. For %6,000? Wow!

Speech Unrecognition

This is one of the coolest things I have read in a long time. Worth reading the whole (very long) thing.

It is very interesting that there is a huge difference between speech to text, and text to speech. I often use Adobe's listen-to-text feature to be able to hear a dissertation or a paper read aloud to me on a long drive. Just plug my laptop into the auxilliary jack on the BMW (it's supposed to be for your iPod or MP3 player, but it works on anything that has an audio jack). Start up the PDF reader by clicking on "Read out loud" (which, bizarrely, is in the "View" menu on Adobe).

Wouldn't work well on a diss with a lot of tables and equations, but works fine for lots of theses in poli sci.

It is rather amazing that the reverse process, speaking and having the computer record the words, basically doesn't work at all. Optical scanning works quite well, with error rates below 5%. But audio speech-to-text... 80%, tops, and even then you are better off typing it straight from voice, for most purposes.

New Laptop Design: Roll

Interesting design for "laptop."

An Email Exchange

A delightful email exchange.

Excerpt:

From: Simon Edhouse
Date: Tuesday 17 November 2009 11.07am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Logo Design

You just crossed the line. You have no idea about the potential this project has. The technology allows users to network peer to peer, add contacts, share information and is potentially worth many millions of dollars and your short sightedness just cost you any chance of being involved.

From: David Thorne
Date: Tuesday 17 November 2009 1.36pm
To: Simon Edhouse
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Logo Design

Dear Simon,

So you have invented Twitter. Congratulations. This is where that time machine would definitely have come in quite handy.

When I was about twelve, I read that time slows down when approaching the speed of light so I constructed a time machine by securing my father's portable generator to the back of my mini-bike with rope and attaching the drive belt to the back wheel. Unfortunately, instead of traveling through time and finding myself in the future, I traveled about fifty metres along the footpath at 200mph before finding myself in a bush. When asked by the nurse filling out the hospital accident report "Cause of accident?" I stated 'time travel attempt' but she wrote down 'stupidity'.

If I did have a working time machine, the first thing I would do is go back four days and tell myself to read the warning on the hair removal cream packaging where it recommends not using on sensitive areas. I would then travel several months back to warn myself against agreeing to do copious amounts of design work for an old man wielding the business plan equivalent of a retarded child poking itself in the eye with a spoon, before finally traveling back to 1982 and explaining to myself the long term photographic repercussions of going to the hairdresser and asking for a haircut exactly like Simon LeBon's the day before a large family gathering.

Regards, David.


(Nod to Prabhu)