<title>Specification and control of behavioral robot programs</title>

Abstract

Behavioral robotics is the specification and control of robots as a composition, coordination, and adaptation of more primitive sub-behaviors. The past decade has led to the development of many useful algorithms that can support valuable behavioral function in robots (e.g., perception, robotics, planning, domain rules). Increased availability of these component algorithms increases the need for robot control methods that can select between gross behaviors in addition to providing control within a given behavior. For example, gross behavioral changes may consider when and whether to attend to new stimuli, and if and how that stimuli can lead to new or different behaviors. This paper describes an approach being developed for the specification and control of these types of behavioral programs. The first section introduces a task oriented approach to behavioral robot program specification and control. The second section then describes a Behavioral Architecture for Robot Tasks (BART) being developed. A BART language is being built to provide a portable tool to support various robot programming and execution strategies, evidence accrual methods, and domain representations. This language is being used to develop behavioral programs that control tanks and tank platoons.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.