Biorobotics

Starting from a reflection on the various roles played by simulations in scientific research, this chapter provides an overview of the biorobotic strategy for testing mechanistic explanations of animal behavior. After briefly summarizing the history and state of the art of biorobotics, it also addresses some key epistemological and methodological issues that need to be taken into serious consideration when setting up and performing biorobotic experiments. These issues mainly concern the relationship between the biorobot and the theoretical model under investigation, the choice of criteria for comparing animal and robotic behaviors, and the pros and cons of computer versus robotic simulations.