09:00-09:10 Welcome opening
Lectures
09:10-09:35 (20 min + 5 min Q&A) - Video
Title: The physical basis of haptic perception
​
Abstract: In this discussion I propose the idea that the sense of touch, supported by the somatosensory system, has developed to take advantage of the ambient physics. While this is certainly not an original idea, it has proven to be rich in surprises and practical consequences which will be discussed by examples.
09:35-10:00 (20 min + 5 min Q&A) - Video
Title: Touch in silico
​
Abstract: Neuromimetic algorithms has the potential to provide sense of touch for human-made devices in the near future. Here we discuss the recent work on information processing, communication and recovery along the somatosensory axis and introduce a biologically realistic and computationally efficient multilayer model of the sensory cortex that could learn from the experience of the agent.
10:00-10:25 (20 min + 5 min Q&A) - Video
Title: The Neural Basis of Haptic Perception
​
Abstract: Here I will discuss recent developments in the view of haptics information and information processing in the nervous system. A central tenet is that haptics is a highly dynamical process, that engages large parts of the skin and consequently a large numbers of sensors, but this not well represented in the neuroscience literature. A consequence is that also large parts of the nervous system becomes engaged in haptics processing, which is also what we have found in a recent series of experiments. The implications of these changing views for the design of artificially intelligent systems, or robots, which rely on haptics to ‘understand’, are also discussed.