A frame-based knowledge software tool for developing interactive robots

Abstract

A knowledge-based software tool for developing interactive robot applications, called SPAK, has been developed. The “world” of interest is represented in a SPAK knowledge base by using a frame knowledge technique. This technique is chosen because it can represent the world meaningfully and naturally. Relationships among frames, which represent things in the world, and actions to be taken when certain things occur can be specified. In action, SPAK perceives changes in the environment, updates the knowledge base if needed, and generates output actions according to the knowledge contents. To support robotic applications, extensions to the conventional frame model are proposed. Various robotic applications can run cooperatively on top of SPAK. Each can easily make use of the knowledge available, and share its knowledge with others. A SPAK knowledge editor allows simple and intuitive development and modification of robot applications. To demonstrate these benefits, a prototype system and a sample robot application are developed. A multiagent technique is employed to combine various robotic components, both hardware and software, together. A sample dialogue manager for managing interactions with humans runs as an application on SPAK.