Perception as Abduction
Turning Sensor Data into Meaningful Representation
Murray Shanahan
Abstract
This paper presents a formal theory of robot perception as a form of abduction.
The theory pins down the process whereby low-level sensor data is transformed
into a symbolic representation of the external world, drawing together aspects
such as incompleteness, top-down information flow, active perception, attention,
and sensor fusion in a unifying framework. In addition, a number of themes
are identified that are common to both the engineer concerned with developing
a rigorous theory of perception like the one on offer here, and the philosopher
of mind who is exercised by questions relating to mental representation and
intentionality.