Collaborative Cybernetics

This thesis examines the core computational and cognitive principles underlying collaboration in both biological and artificial cognitive systems within the framework of 'Collaborative Cybernetics.’ The research aims to deepen our understanding of human and animal collaboration, as well as the design and study of human-machine and purely artificial collaborations. Using robotics and AI, the study bridges various levels of collaboration, particularly emphasizing the interaction between cognitive and social dimensions.
Over nine chapters, the thesis systematically examines various elements of collaborative behavior, such as social conventions, dilemmas, collaborative foraging, social learning, moral decision-making, and human-robot collaboration. It highlights how sensorimotor control and reinforcement learning help establish social conventions, the role of episodic memory in shaping norms and facilitating effective social learning, and the importance of adapting to environmental and personal factors to optimize human-robot collaboration.
This research offers valuable insights about collaborative behaviors across different domains, significantly contributing to the broader areas of cognitive science, artificial intelligence, and robotics, ultimately paving the way for more advanced and efficient collaborative systems.

Ismael T. Freire is a PhD candidate at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour. His research explores the emergence of cooperation, societal norms, and conventions in multi-agent environments by developing biologically grounded cognitive architectures for artificial agents and robots. His academic journey is notably multidisciplinary. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Audiovisual Communications from Universidad de Santiago de Compostela and two master's degrees from Universitat Pompeu Fabra: one in Cognitive Systems and Interactive Media and another in Digital Arts. He also participated in the Space Studies Program at the International Space University, hosted by Rice University and NASA's Johnson Space Center. His work, influenced by Game Theory, Cognitive Neuroscience, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, builds advanced models for social decision-making. Passionate about enhancing human collaboration and creating collaborative artificial systems, he aims to advance robot autonomy and human-robot collaboration in complex environments.