Representation of Local Space in Perception/Action Systems: Behaving Appropriately in Difficult Situations
Frank Brill · 1996
There have been two main approaches to determining action for autonomous agents: classical planning and reactive planning. Classical planners can construct plans which take into account complex interactions between the various actions the agent may take, but is computationally expensive, and requires complete knowledge of a static environment. In contrast, reactive planning systems simply map sensor inputs to actions. These mappings may be done in constant time, and the perception-based nature of reactive systems enables the agent to cope with dynamic and uncertain environments. However, reactive planning abandons the machinery needed to contend with complex situations. This dissertation presents a new paradigm for interaction with complex, dynamic, three-dimensional environments which builds on the reactive approach. The centerpiece of this paradigm is the effective field of view, as implemented by marker-based representations of the local environment. The effective field of view is an extension of the standard field of view of a sensor, via representation of past sensor inputs. The effective field of advice and support, both technically and otherwise. This work would not exist without them, and I couldn't ask for better advisors. Thanks also to the other members of my com-