ABSTRACT
This chapter attempts to identify and characterize the phenomenon which needs to be explained, namely the hardwired cognitive abilities that are necessary to engage in Euclidean geometry. It outlines the beginning of a story about how the prerequisites are being transformed into full-blooded Euclidean geometry. The core system of layout geometry represents spatial relationships in an abstract way, meaning that space is represented independently of the layout's color, luminance, or texture. From an engineering point of view, implementing geometry-based navigation in mobile robots gives them an advantage over machines that navigate only on the basis of nongeometric cues. The researchers propose that the observed pattern of behavior may be understood without referring to high-level cognitive structures, such as the geometric module or core system of layout geometry. The chapter considers the findings of numerous disciplines, such as cognitive and developmental psychology, neuroscience, evolutionary biology, ethology, and comparative cognition, as well as behavioral robotics.
