Humans and other mammals exhibit complex behavior which is controlled by their nervous systems. While the nervous system sends "point-to-point" signals through the body and enables real-time control of muscles, the endocrine system can be thought of as a "broadcast" communication system which mainly serves mid and long-term control purposes. Regarding robotic systems, artificial endocrine systems can complement control approaches - in particular those based on neural networks. The presentation should explain the concepts behind artificial endocrine systems and illustrate their benefits for the control of complex behavior.

Literature: Brief Overview by James Finnis