Probabilistic logic programming for hybrid relational domains

Abstract

We introduce a probabilistic language and an efficient inference algorithm based on distributional clauses for static and dynamic inference in hybrid relational domains. Static inference is based on sampling, where the samples represent (partial) worlds (with discrete and continuous variables). Furthermore, we use backward reasoning to determine which facts should be included in the partial worlds. For filtering in dynamic models we combine the static inference algorithm with particle filters and guarantee that the previous partial samples can be safely forgotten, a condition that does not hold in most logical filtering frameworks. Experiments show that the proposed framework can outperform classic sampling methods for static and dynamic inference and that it is promising for robotics and vision applications. In addition, it provides the correct results in domains in which most probabilistic programming languages fail.