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Abstract Autonomous robots are increasingly deployed for long-term information-gathering tasks, which pose two key challenges: planning informative trajectories in environments that evolve across space and time, and ensuring persistent operation under energy constraints. This paper presents a unified framework, , that addresses both challenges through adaptive ergodic search and energy-aware scheduling in multi-robot systems. Our contributions are two-fold: (1) we model real-world variability using stochastic spatiotemporal environments, where the underlying information evolves continuously over space and time under process noise. To guide exploration, we construct a target information spatial distribution (TISD) based on clarity, a metric that captures the decay of information in the absence of observations and highlights regions of high uncertainty; and (2) we introduce ( ), an online scheduling method that enables persistent operation by coordinating rechargeable robots sharing a single mobile charging station. Unlike prior work, our approach avoids reliance on preplanned schedules, static or dedicated charging stations, and simplified robot dynamics. Instead, the scheduler supports general nonlinear models, accounts for uncertainty in the estimated position of the charging station, and handles central node failures. The proposed framework is validated through real-world hardware experiments, and feasibility guarantees are provided under specific assumptions.[Code: https://github.com/kalebbennaveed/mEclares-main.git][Experiment Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmaZDvxJgF8]
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Questioning supports effective transmission of knowledge and increased exploratory learning in pre‐kindergarten children
Abstract How can education optimize transmission of knowledge while also fostering further learning? Focusing on children at the cusp of formal schooling (N= 180, age = 4.0–6.0 y), we investigate learning after direct instruction by a knowledgeable teacher, after questioning by a knowledgeable teacher, and after questioning by a naïve informant. Consistent with previous findings, instruction by a knowledgeable teacher allows effective information transmission but at the cost of exploration and further learning. Critically, we find a dual benefit for questioning by a knowledgeable teacher: Suchpedagogical questioningboth effectively transmits knowledge and fosters exploration and further learning, regardless of whether the question was directed to the child or directed to a third party and overheard by the child. These effects are not observed when the same question is asked by a naïve informant. We conclude that a teacher's choice of pedagogical method may differentially influence learning through their choices of how, and how not, to present evidence, with implications for transmission of knowledge and self‐directed discovery. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJXH2b65wL8
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- PAR ID:
- 10060925
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Developmental Science
- Volume:
- 21
- Issue:
- 6
- ISSN:
- 1363-755X
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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