Real-time planning by an intelligent robot

The development of automated decision making capabilities for an autonomous intelligent machine operating in dynamic real-world environments is one of the key research activities currently carried out within the Center for Engineering Systems Advanced Research at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The conceptual design of a Robot Operating System is presented as a basis for further research in the area of real-time planning. The Robot Operating System controls and directs the robot's planning and reasoning capabilities by embedding them, as asynchronous parallel algorithms, within a multiprocessor operating system built for resource allocation, process (e.g., sensors, arms,...) management, etc. The Center for Engineering Systems Advanced Research HERMIES-type robots provide the experimental focus for this activity. 25 references.