Theoretical methods for planning and control in mobile robotics

Abstract

Through adaptation of theoretical techniques from control theory and computer science it becomes possible to provide well posed expert systems for the control of mobile robots. In contrast to other expert systems for mobile robotics the adapted framework enables structured design and verification of implemented systems. This in turn results in a modular system, and a system with a predictable performance. The authors describe how a behaviour based system can be controlled by a rule based expert system, where the interaction between behaviours is described in terms of a process algebra, where different processes are modelled as discrete event systems, and compositions are controlled by a supervisory control-structure. To verify the described framework experimental results obtained with a prototype system are also outlined.