Reflexive navigation for autonomous aircraft
Stephen D. Tynor · 7th Computers in Aerospace Conference · 1989
REFLEX applies recent research in animal behavior to autonomous aircraft navigation. In REFLEX, complex navigational behaviors are built from very simple competing sub-behaviors, or schemas. For example, by defining two simple behaviors: move-in-direction, which instructs the vehicle to move in a particular direction, and avoid-obstacle, which motivates the vehicle to move away from an object, the vehicle can exhibit remarkably 'intelligent' behavior of moving in a particular direction until perceiving an obstacle then maneuvering around the obstacle and continuing on its way. What makes this method of navigation so powerful is that it requires no high level reasoning or planning in the traditional use of the term. The method described has potential application for both autonomous navigation as well as intelligent