Ralf Der

About

Ralf Der is a pioneering researcher in autonomous robotics and self-organizing systems, whose work sits at the compelling intersection of information theory, dynamical systems, and machine learning. His research has fundamentally advanced our understanding of how robots can autonomously develop complex, adaptive behaviors without explicit programming or external reward signals. Der's most influential contribution centers on the use of predictive information — a measure rooted in information theory — as both a diagnostic tool and an optimization objective for robot behavior. His 2008 paper on predictive information and explorative behavior (170 citations) demonstrated how maximizing this measure drives robots toward increasingly sophisticated and exploratory behavioral repertoires. This principle was further elaborated in his 2012 book *The Playful Machine*, which provided both theoretical grounding and practical implementation strategies for self-organizing robots. A recurring theme across his work is the emergence of sensorimotor intelligence through purely local, biologically inspired plasticity rules — suggesting that curiosity, creativity, and motivated exploration need not be hard-coded but can arise organically from simple dynamical principles. His 2015 paper on novel plasticity rules (29 citations) brought these ideas into dialogue with neuroscience. With over 500 cumulative citations, Der's contributions remain essential reading for researchers in developmental robotics, embodied AI, and computational neuroscience.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Predictive information and explorative behavior of autonomous robots

   170 citations · 2008
2. 2
   Information Driven Self-Organization of Complex Robotic Behaviors

   78 citations · 2013
3. 3
   The Playful Machine: Theoretical Foundation and Practical Realization of Self-Organizing Robots

   53 citations · 2012
4. 4
   Information-driven self-organization: the dynamical system approach to autonomous robot behavior

   45 citations · 2011
5. 5
   Self-organized acquisition of situated behaviors

   38 citations · 2001
6. 6
   From Motor Babbling to Purposive Actions: Emerging Self-exploration in a Dynamical Systems Approach to Early Robot Development

   30 citations · 2006
7. 7
   Guided Self-organisation for Autonomous Robot Development

   29 citations · 2007
8. 8
   Novel plasticity rule can explain the development of sensorimotor intelligence

   29 citations · 2015
9. 9
   Predictive information and emergent cooperativity in a chain of mobile robots

   22 citations · 2008
10. 10
    Self-organized acquisition of situated behaviors

    21 citations · 2001

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links