Robodiment, Self and Temporality:Phenomenological Insights for Cognitive Architectures in Robotics
Sara Incao, Alessandra Sciutti, Shaun Gallagher
Minds and Machines November 11, 2025 DOI: 10.1007/s11023-025-09750-z (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Cognitive architectures Embodied cognition Minimal self Time Humanoid robots Bodily awareness Predictive processing Cognitive robotics |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key points | Argues that intrinsic temporality, as described by Husserl's retentional-protentional dynamic, can be adapted to enrich cognitive architectures for humanoid robots. |
Abstract
Cognitive architectures are simplified models of complex neural and behavioral processes, designed to equip artificial agents with flexibility and adaptive behavior. To enhance context-awareness and autonomy in humanoid robots, it is essential to address the role of temporality. The temporal dimension extends far beyond its association with memory, encompassing the continuity of self and identity over time, along with cognitive processes such as intention formation and action planning. This article focuses on the concept of intrinsic temporality as a prereflective structural feature underlying human perceptual experience and motor system activity.Drawing on Husserl’s retentional-protentional dynamic, as interpreted in phenomenology and applied in predictive processing approaches, this article suggests that intrinsic temporality underlying prereflective self-monitoring can be adapted to enrich the design of a cognitive architecture for humanoid robots.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychosis as a state of aberrant salience: a framework linking biology, phenomenology, and pharmacology in schizophrenia. | 2003 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From dopamine to salience to psychosis--linking biology, pharmacology and phenomenology of psychosis. | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How do the brain's time and space mediate consciousness and its different dimensions? Temporo-spatial theory of consciousness (TTC). | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The phenomenology of deep brain stimulation-induced changes in OCD: an enactive affordance-based model. | 2013 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Looking for the Self: Phenomenology, Neurophysiology and Philosophical Significance of Drug-induced Ego Dissolution | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cites 8
- The earliest sense of self and others: Merleau‐Ponty and recent developmental studies Philosophical Psychology June 1, 1996
- Minimal self-models and the free energy principle. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience September 12, 2013
- Toward a Mature Science of Consciousness. Frontiers in Psychology 2018
- Understanding the sense of self through robotics. Science robotics October 30, 2024
- Prerequisites for an Artificial Self. Frontiers in Neurorobotics 2020
and 3 more in the library