real-time control: a significant test of ai technologies

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Real-Time Control: A significant test of AI technologies Charles R. Weisbin, Oak Ridge National Laboratory or some time now, scientists stress such factors as dynamic replan- and navigates among both stationary Fh have successfully applied Al ning, swift decision making under and occasionally moving obstacles, methodologies to problems uncertainty, and powerful on-board picks up and moves small obstacles, of classification, scheduling, computational capability. We have searches for and locates a control panel, and learning in environments gathered together four papers address- and reads meters found on that panel. whose characteristics are known a priori. ing these themes, where hardware verifi- All computation is done on board the A more stringent test of Al, however, is cation of concepts permits critical robot, which contains an eight-node the real-time control of autonomous examination of alternative approaches. NCUBE parallel processor (computa- robots (1) to reduce human error through tionally equivalent to approximately the automation of repetitive, dull, and eight Vax 11/780s). Available sensors routine tasks, (2) to minimize human The articles include an array of sonar transducers risk by enabling effective remote opera- and two cameras. The robot uses an tion in hazardous environments, and Burks et al. describe a research exper- expert system for real-time navigation, (3) to cope effectively with emergency iment in which an autonomous robot, implementing machine vision algorithms situations requiring rapid response. placed in an arbitrary indoor location that run in parallel on the nodes for These closed-loop problem settings- Nithout prior specification of the panel recognition and meter reading. where the human serves as supervisor- room's contents, successfully discovers The authors consider each theme 16 0885-90(H)O/87/1Ii )/u0lfi/51411 1987IEEE IEEE EXPERT

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Page 1: Real-Time Control: A significant test of AI technologies

Real-Time Control: A significant test of AI technologiesCharles R. Weisbin, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

or some time now, scientists stress such factors as dynamic replan- and navigates among both stationaryFh have successfully applied Al ning, swift decision making under and occasionally moving obstacles,

methodologies to problems uncertainty, and powerful on-board picks up and moves small obstacles,of classification, scheduling, computational capability. We have searches for and locates a control panel,and learning in environments gathered together four papers address- and reads meters found on that panel.

whose characteristics are known a priori. ing these themes, where hardware verifi- All computation is done on board theA more stringent test of Al, however, is cation of concepts permits critical robot, which contains an eight-nodethe real-time control of autonomous examination of alternative approaches. NCUBE parallel processor (computa-robots (1) to reduce human error through tionally equivalent to approximatelythe automation of repetitive, dull, and eight Vax 11/780s). Available sensorsroutine tasks, (2) to minimize human The articles include an array of sonar transducersrisk by enabling effective remote opera- and two cameras. The robot uses antion in hazardous environments, and Burks et al. describe a research exper- expert system for real-time navigation,(3) to cope effectively with emergency iment in which an autonomous robot, implementing machine vision algorithmssituations requiring rapid response. placed in an arbitrary indoor location that run in parallel on the nodes forThese closed-loop problem settings- Nithout prior specification of the panel recognition and meter reading.where the human serves as supervisor- room's contents, successfully discovers The authors consider each theme

16 0885-90(H)O/87/1Ii )/u0lfi/51411 1987IEEE IEEE EXPERT

Page 2: Real-Time Control: A significant test of AI technologies

(dynamic replanning, rapid decision ach of these research efforts RISP goals include the development of anmaking under uncertainty, and powerful forms an interesting research appropriate combination of teleoperationscomputational capability) within the and application benchmark and autonomous operations, with emphasiscontext of an indoor laboratory envi- for real-time control of on energy-related problem areas. He is alsoronment. autonomous mobile systems section head of the Mathematical ModelingCrowley proposes an architecture for operating in semistructured environ- and Intelligent Control section at the labora-tory, and a professor of computer science athis autonomous mobile robot in which a ments. I thank the authors for their the University of Tennessee.

knowledge base supervisor controls twin efforts, IEEE Expert referees for their Weisbin received his EngSciD fromhierarchies for navigation and percep- suggestions and commentary, Henry Columbia University, and spent three yearstion. This knowledge-based system Ayling for his effective editing and at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Hesupervises the effective utilization of production, and David Pessel and the has extensive experience in data and com-robot "skills" such as locomotion and editorial board for considering our sub- puter model validation, and has contributedspatial reasoning, which manifest them- ject area.M to and edited Sensitivity and Uncertaintyselves as a collection of procedures. Analysis ofReactor Performance ParametersCrowley describes the organization of (Plenum Pfr the IEEE Second Internationalthe supervisor's rule base, and illustrates Conference on Artificial Intelligence Appli-mission planning with a simple example. Charles R. Weisbin-pictured above with the cations, and is an IEEE Expert editorialThis research stresses control at the top Hermies-IIB robot-is director of the board member. His address is the Roboticslevel, requiring the application of a Robotics and Intelligent Systems Program and Intelligent Systems Program, Oak Ridgebody of poorly organized knowledge. (RISP) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in National Laboratory, PO Box X, OakGota and Stentz focus primarily on a Tennessee, where he has been for 13 years. Ridge, TN 37831-6364.

system architecture enabling mobilerobot systems to perform real-time navi-gation in outdoor as well as indoor envi- Am_ronments. They discuss issues concerning ___the unstructured nature of outdoor envi-ronments plus approaches taken for per- Tte rngin

e sception, planning, and control. They '1/ Northrop Corporation's Defense Systems Division in Rolling Meadows, Illinois is thealso describe their Codger system for fastest-growing enterprise in an expanding electronic countermeasures industry. Uintegrating these components into a sin- offer professionals with a BSCS, BSEE, BS Math or Physics (or equialent) MS prefer-gle system, synchronizing dataflow 0 red, and a minimum of 3 years experience, opportunities in the following areas.between them to maximize parallelism. Management, Systems Architect, Technical Leaders and engineering assignmentsTheir robot vehicles drive continuously- aailable.using a color camera and laser range Systems Programmersfinder-on a network of sidewalks, up a Our many varied applications require significant growth in our support capabilities.bicycle slope, and over a curved road Me need the best people with experience in:through a treed area (while detecting * LANGUAGES, including Ada, Assembler, C, FORTRAN, JOVIAL, and Fascaland avoiding obstacles) at 200mm per * OPERATING SYSTEMS, including UNIX and VMSsecond. This research stresses sensor * Development of Real-Time Operating Systemsfusion, parallel execution, and extensi- * Development of Software Toolsbility. * Performance Modeling and Evaluation

Mdrflamaney deals with a large system, * Use of Structured Software Development Methodologiesintended for military applications, Software Systems Engineerswhose architecture and associated Lisp- Our software engineers develop software from systems requirements through im-like plan generation language enables plementation, and need experience in:the simultaneous execution of actions as * Software Requirements Analysis 0diverse as road following and obstacle * Architectural Designavoidance. This system uses off-board * Software Validation and Test Specification 0

computation due to the quantity, size, * Performance Specification and Modelingand power requirements of anticipated * Interface Design and Specificationcomputers. The author describes a ECM/EW Systems Software Engineersdemonstration dealing with autono- ECM/EW Systems are our business. We need the best people with experience in:mous navigation that includes path * Real-Time Control Systems * Systems and Unit Level * ECM Algorithmplanning and execution from a map * Radar Data Processing Diagnostics Developmentdatabase, with concurrent obstacle * Embedded Computer * Object Discrimination & * Kalman Filteringdetection and avoidance over a 2-km Systems Classification * Optimal Controlopen terrain route at 8 km/hr by a full- Hardvare Diagnostics Software Engineerssized vehicle in a natural outdoor envi- We design and develop advanced systems using the latest hardware and softwareronment. Subsequent efforts success- technologies for our military clients. Experience required in:fully achieved more rapid speeds for * Intelligent Control Panel Systems Developmentroad following; the vehicle attained * Built-in-Test, Functional Testspeeds of 24 km/hr and 21 km/hr on * Micro and Macro Diagnostics for Fault Identificationstraight and curved sections, respec- Interested individuals areeencouraged to forward resumeto: Janies Fascona, Tichnicaltively, of a San Jose test track. Current Reauitef, Dept. C97, Northrop CorporAtion, Defense Systems Division, 600 Hicksefforts focus on multiple vehicle control Road, Roling Meadoass IL 60008. We are an equal opportunity employer MWFIV/H.and advanced autonomous capabilities U.S. Citizenship Required.such as dynamic replanning, terrain typ- NORTHRing, and landmark-based recognition. *nR

Defense Systems DivisionWINTER 1987 Electronics Systems Group