Publication Details

Experiment in Robot Tool Using

by Coles, L. Stephen

Technical Note 41
Institution: AI Center, SRI International
Address: 333 Ravenswood Ave, Menlo Park, CA 94025
Oct 1970.

Note: Paper to be presented at the IEEE Systems Science & Cybernetics Conference, Pittsburgh, PA, Oct 14-16, 1970. Paper published in Proceedings of the 3rd Houston Conference on Computer & System Science, Houston, TX, April 26-27, 1971. SRI Project 8259. Research supported by the Advanced Research Projects Agency & the Rome Air Development Center under Contract AF30(602)-4124 & is continuing under Contract NAS 12-2221 with the Advanced Research Projects Agency and NASA.

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Within the Artificial Intelligence Group of Stanford Research Institute we have been engaged in the design of an intelligent automaton for about five years. The automaton in question is a computer controlled mobile robot capable of autonomously sensing information from its environment and performing tasks normally requiring human supervision. In keeping with our major purpose during the last several years, we have conducted a series of experiments, each designed to exhibit increasingly sophisticated problem-solving behavior on the part of the robot. The most difficult and complex task completed thus far has been a demonstration of robot tool using, i.e., the use of a simple ramp to permit the robot to roll from its initial position on the floor onto a platform about six inches above the floor in order to complete an assigned task. This paper describes the problem as specified to the robot, the assumptions made, and the methods used to accomplish the task.