Towards a Quantum Modeling Approach to Reactive Agents

Abstract

Quantum computing offers a new approach to the problem modeling and solving. This paper deals with the quantum modeling of reactive agents. It also proposes a quantum algorithm to implement the subsumption architecture, widely used by reactive agents, particularly in robotics. This work shows the contribution of the formalism proposed by quantum mechanics to the modeling and the proof of certain properties of the agent behavior. After, the definition of the reactive agent state modeling, the paper suggests a behavior modeling approach based on two steps for subsumption architecture. The first one models the preset behavior that links each action to the perception states. The second one determines, among several actuated actions, the one that the robot must achieve. The subsumption architecture raises the challenge of modeling hierarchical priority of actions. To this end, a multipartite entanglement is used in the second step. More precisely, the paper proposes and generalizes a W-state circuit in order to be used for modeling hierarchical priority actions and controlling the robot accordingly. The result of both steps provides a formal model that links the robot’s perception (input) to the actions (output), with respect to the subsumption architecture. The proposed model of agent is simulated using IBM quantum computer. The simulation shows that the model can either be served as a control unit of the robot (CU) to obtain the suitable action or to simulate the robot behavior.