Fig. 1

Information flows to control an intelligent agent. Controlling the behavior of an intelligent agent can be organized under several poles of information. In a perceptual (or exteroceptive) pole, the agent can perceive local cues from its environment (shape, color of objects) and more global contextual cues (position and organization of objects in the environment). In a motor pole, the agent can trigger actions to move or to manipulate objects. To demonstrate an intelligent behavior, some goals (objects to reach) and constraints (situations to avoid) must be specified, as it is proposed in a limbic pole (the use of this term is explained later in the paper). Taking into account goals and constraints can be monitored and possibly learned if some information like rewards and levels of energy are given, gathered here in an interoceptive pole