Peter Nordin
Encyclopedia
Peter Nordin is a Swedish computer scientist, entrepreneur and author who has contributed to artificial intelligence, automatic programming, machine learning, and evolutionary robotics.
but moved to Gothenburg
in 1967, where he was raised. He began studies at Chalmers University of Technology in 1984 and completed the M.S.
in computer science
and engineering in 1988 and studied economics. He then worked as a knowledge engineer for artificial intelligence
(AI) company, Infologics AB, focusing on research and development
of knowledge-based systems
and complex system
configuration.
Nordin began his research while at Infologics AB, Sweden. His work led to several European research projects (ESPRIT) including projects in machine learning
(autonomous vehicles) and methodologies for AI system development. As one of the first researchers in the area he began his research in Genetic Programming
(GP) in 1992. GP
is a type of evolutionary algorithm and a general automatic programming
method that generates Turing complete algorithms – i.e. computers that write their own programs. In 1993, he started Dacapo AB, a research and development company. He invented a method for automatic induction of binary machine code using genetic programming and has devoted a large part of his research on how to produce machine code with genetic programming. In 1997 he co-founded the American company RML Technologies, Inc. with the first commercial GP software. Nordin spent a large portion of 1995 and 1996 at the University of Dortmund, where he completed his doctoral studies. At Dortmund University he initiated research in evolutionary robotics
. and demonstrated for the first time that GP can be used for real-time, on-line training
and control
of robotic systems
.
In 1998, he co-authored a textbook on genetic programming.
Peter Nordin created a search engine company in 1999, VILL AB (with global search engine wannasee.com) as well as another AI-company, Tific AB for automated support, and received the year’s Sten Gustafsson prize for entrepreneuring, awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences
. At the time, he was also the co-founder of Chalmer's Medialab and was on the board of the Swedish AI Society.
(CAS). For a short period he led an international master’s degree program in CAS, which he co-founded. He led the master’s program and supervised construction of hundreds of GP-based adaptive physical robots. During this time, he also started Chalmers’ Humanoid Project resulted in Sweden’s first full-scale humanoid robot
s; Elvis, Elvina, and Priscilla, which currently reside in Sweden’s National Museum of Science and Technology. Robots from the Humanoid Project participated in “RoboCup” soccer matches for humanoid robots (RoboCup
) in Japan
in 2002. He also founded the first European company for humanoid technology: the Estonian company European Humanoids OY. Several of Nordin's students have created their own humanoid projects, such as Davide Faconti and the REEM-B robot and Almir Heralic with HR2. Much of this earlier work focused on evolutionary robotic training
methods for: problem solving
, sound and image processing
, perception
and advanced non-linear low-level control. Robots have also learned to walk on two legs without having foreknowledge by simulating the behaviour. The robot Elvis, attracted some media interest and was seen by the public in more than 15 countries. The world's first flying "flapping" adaptive ornithopter
robot appeared in TV and other media. The popular science book; “Humanoider: Självlärande robotar och artificiell intelligens”, was one result of this public interest.
During his time at Chalmers, he started another 10 spin-off companies based on his research. He has a number of patents, all related to genetic programming and evolutionary methods. He is co-founder of the Institute of Robotics in Scandinavia
.
From 2008 Peter Nordin is an adjoint professor at Chalmers in Göteborg, Sweden.
Peter Nordin is listed by the Swedish Trade Council as one of Sweden's 12 most influential contemporary inventors.
Nordin is seen in the public debate on treatment of gifted children and is an advisor for the Mensa International
Process.
He lives with wife Carina and 6 children outside Gothenburg in Askim.
, Sweden
(1988). His current research include commercial evolutionary robotics software and software for a complete cognitive system for robots. His earlier research includes: Evolutionary software architecture for robotics, the invention of evolutionary induction of mathematical proofs and of binary machine language, speech and vision recognition, and linear genetic programming
for internet search. He pioneered analysis of genetic programming through complexity theory. Nordin's research belongs to the top 200 most cited in computer science.
Peter Nordin is the inventor of the ALLAN-method for Artificial General Intelligence based on complexity measures i.e. Speed Prior
using random strings as reinforcement to create a Universal Learning Algorithm.
Studies and early career
Peter Nordin was born in 1965 in HelsingborgHelsingborg
Helsingborg is a city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 97,122 inhabitants in 2010. Helsingborg is the centre of an area in the Øresund region of about 320,000 inhabitants in north-west Scania, and is Sweden's closest point to Denmark, with the Danish city...
but moved to Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
in 1967, where he was raised. He began studies at Chalmers University of Technology in 1984 and completed the M.S.
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
in computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
and engineering in 1988 and studied economics. He then worked as a knowledge engineer for artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
(AI) company, Infologics AB, focusing on research and development
Research and development
The phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
of knowledge-based systems
Knowledge-based systems
Knowledge based systems are artificial intelligent tools working in a narrow domain to provide intelligent decisions with justification. Knowledge is acquired and represented using various knowledge representation techniques rules, frames and scripts...
and complex system
Complex system
A complex system is a system composed of interconnected parts that as a whole exhibit one or more properties not obvious from the properties of the individual parts....
configuration.
Nordin began his research while at Infologics AB, Sweden. His work led to several European research projects (ESPRIT) including projects in machine learning
Machine learning
Machine learning, a branch of artificial intelligence, is a scientific discipline concerned with the design and development of algorithms that allow computers to evolve behaviors based on empirical data, such as from sensor data or databases...
(autonomous vehicles) and methodologies for AI system development. As one of the first researchers in the area he began his research in Genetic Programming
Genetic programming
In artificial intelligence, genetic programming is an evolutionary algorithm-based methodology inspired by biological evolution to find computer programs that perform a user-defined task. It is a specialization of genetic algorithms where each individual is a computer program...
(GP) in 1992. GP
Genetic programming
In artificial intelligence, genetic programming is an evolutionary algorithm-based methodology inspired by biological evolution to find computer programs that perform a user-defined task. It is a specialization of genetic algorithms where each individual is a computer program...
is a type of evolutionary algorithm and a general automatic programming
Automatic programming
In computer science, the term automatic programming identifies a type of computer programming in which some mechanism generates a computer program to allow human programmers to write the code at a higher abstraction level....
method that generates Turing complete algorithms – i.e. computers that write their own programs. In 1993, he started Dacapo AB, a research and development company. He invented a method for automatic induction of binary machine code using genetic programming and has devoted a large part of his research on how to produce machine code with genetic programming. In 1997 he co-founded the American company RML Technologies, Inc. with the first commercial GP software. Nordin spent a large portion of 1995 and 1996 at the University of Dortmund, where he completed his doctoral studies. At Dortmund University he initiated research in evolutionary robotics
Evolutionary robotics
Evolutionary robotics is a methodology that uses evolutionary computation to develop controllers for autonomous robots. Algorithms in ER frequently operate on populations of candidate controllers, initially selected from some distribution. This population is then repeatedly modified according to...
. and demonstrated for the first time that GP can be used for real-time, on-line training
Training
The term training refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relate to specific useful competencies. It forms the core of apprenticeships and provides the backbone of content at institutes of...
and control
Control system
A control system is a device, or set of devices to manage, command, direct or regulate the behavior of other devices or system.There are two common classes of control systems, with many variations and combinations: logic or sequential controls, and feedback or linear controls...
of robotic systems
Robotics
Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots...
.
In 1998, he co-authored a textbook on genetic programming.
Peter Nordin created a search engine company in 1999, VILL AB (with global search engine wannasee.com) as well as another AI-company, Tific AB for automated support, and received the year’s Sten Gustafsson prize for entrepreneuring, awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences
Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences or Kungl. Ingenjörsvetenskapsakademien , founded in 1919 by King Gustaf V, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden...
. At the time, he was also the co-founder of Chalmer's Medialab and was on the board of the Swedish AI Society.
Robots and commercialization of AI
During 1998-2003, he was an associate professor at Chalmers’ Complex Adaptive SystemsComplex adaptive system
Complex adaptive systems are special cases of complex systems. They are complex in that they are dynamic networks of interactions and relationships not aggregations of static entities...
(CAS). For a short period he led an international master’s degree program in CAS, which he co-founded. He led the master’s program and supervised construction of hundreds of GP-based adaptive physical robots. During this time, he also started Chalmers’ Humanoid Project resulted in Sweden’s first full-scale humanoid robot
Humanoid robot
A humanoid robot or an anthropomorphic robot is a robot with its overall appearance, based on that of the human body, allowing interaction with made-for-human tools or environments. In general humanoid robots have a torso with a head, two arms and two legs, although some forms of humanoid robots...
s; Elvis, Elvina, and Priscilla, which currently reside in Sweden’s National Museum of Science and Technology. Robots from the Humanoid Project participated in “RoboCup” soccer matches for humanoid robots (RoboCup
RoboCup
RoboCup is an international robotics competition founded in 1997. The aim is to develop autonomous soccer robots with the intention of promoting research and education in the field of artificial intelligence...
) in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 2002. He also founded the first European company for humanoid technology: the Estonian company European Humanoids OY. Several of Nordin's students have created their own humanoid projects, such as Davide Faconti and the REEM-B robot and Almir Heralic with HR2. Much of this earlier work focused on evolutionary robotic training
Training
The term training refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relate to specific useful competencies. It forms the core of apprenticeships and provides the backbone of content at institutes of...
methods for: problem solving
Problem solving
Problem solving is a mental process and is part of the larger problem process that includes problem finding and problem shaping. Consideredthe most complex of all intellectual functions, problem solving has been defined as higher-order cognitive process that requires the modulation and control of...
, sound and image processing
Image processing
In electrical engineering and computer science, image processing is any form of signal processing for which the input is an image, such as a photograph or video frame; the output of image processing may be either an image or, a set of characteristics or parameters related to the image...
, perception
Perception
Perception is the process of attaining awareness or understanding of the environment by organizing and interpreting sensory information. All perception involves signals in the nervous system, which in turn result from physical stimulation of the sense organs...
and advanced non-linear low-level control. Robots have also learned to walk on two legs without having foreknowledge by simulating the behaviour. The robot Elvis, attracted some media interest and was seen by the public in more than 15 countries. The world's first flying "flapping" adaptive ornithopter
Ornithopter
An ornithopter is an aircraft that flies by flapping its wings. Designers seek to imitate the flapping-wing flight of birds, bats, and insects. Though machines may differ in form, they are usually built on the same scale as these flying creatures. Manned ornithopters have also been built, and some...
robot appeared in TV and other media. The popular science book; “Humanoider: Självlärande robotar och artificiell intelligens”, was one result of this public interest.
During his time at Chalmers, he started another 10 spin-off companies based on his research. He has a number of patents, all related to genetic programming and evolutionary methods. He is co-founder of the Institute of Robotics in Scandinavia
Institute of Robotics in Scandinavia AB
Institute of Robotics in Scandinavia AB is a privately owned company based on Gothenburg, Sweden. It is one of several companies created from research and expertise of Peter Nordin. The company specializes in evolutionary robotics software....
.
From 2008 Peter Nordin is an adjoint professor at Chalmers in Göteborg, Sweden.
Peter Nordin is listed by the Swedish Trade Council as one of Sweden's 12 most influential contemporary inventors.
Nordin is seen in the public debate on treatment of gifted children and is an advisor for the Mensa International
Mensa International
Mensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organization open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test...
Process.
He lives with wife Carina and 6 children outside Gothenburg in Askim.
Career summary, research
Peter Nordin has a Ph.D. in Computer Science at University of Dortmund (1997) and a degree in computer science and engineering from Chalmers University of Technology in GothenburgGothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
(1988). His current research include commercial evolutionary robotics software and software for a complete cognitive system for robots. His earlier research includes: Evolutionary software architecture for robotics, the invention of evolutionary induction of mathematical proofs and of binary machine language, speech and vision recognition, and linear genetic programming
Linear genetic programming
Linear Genetic Programming is a particular subset of genetic programming wherein computer programs in population are represented as a sequence of instructions from imperative programming language or machine language...
for internet search. He pioneered analysis of genetic programming through complexity theory. Nordin's research belongs to the top 200 most cited in computer science.
Peter Nordin is the inventor of the ALLAN-method for Artificial General Intelligence based on complexity measures i.e. Speed Prior
Speed prior
Jürgen Schmidhuber's speed prior is a complexity measure similar to Kolmogorov complexity, except that it is based on computation speed as well as programlength.The speed prior complexity of a program is its...
using random strings as reinforcement to create a Universal Learning Algorithm.
Patents
- US patent on evolutionary program induction of machine code granted: Computer Implemented Machine Learning Method and System, Patent Number 5,841,947