Requirements for representing skills

Skill representations must meet two major requirements. The first one is that they can be converted into action, with or without integrated perception. This means that the control information in the skill representation can be used to generate control signals to the muscles every 10 msecs or so. The second is that they can be stored. Innate skills must be encoded in DNA. 'Known' skills, even when not in use at that instant in time, must be stored in the brain. Complex skills, with integrated perception, must have multiple conditional action sequences stored, so that the actual behaviour can differ depending on the perception.

The representation of the action must have several components

• There is an action component to specify alternative actions such as walking, running, lying down.
• There is a geometry component
• Angles have to be specified for each of the joints.
• Each of the joints may have multiple angles to control.
• There is a time component, since, during movement, the angles are constantly changing.
• Angles are time-specific for each of the joints.
• multiple angles will likely have to be synchronized in their motions.

The representation of the perception must have several components

• There is an object recognition component at some level of detail, at least sufficient to differentiate between members of the group that should be mimicked, potential mates, potential predators to be avoided, and food.
• There is a geometry component
• Direction to food and potential mates must be identified.
• Action may be modified depending on distance.
• Avoiding predators also requires recognizing potential obstacles and directions to avoid those.
• There is a distance recognition component, since action priorities may depend on relative distances.
• The perceived direction of the recognized object may be important, for flight or for a chase.
• Angles may have to be calculated for optimal interception of a chase.
• The individual movements of a leader to be mimicked may have to be recognized.
• More than joint angle may be involved.
• multiple angles will likely have to be synchronized in their motions.

There must be connectives that link alternative perceptions to action alternatives. Also, action segments may have to put into a sequence.