AN EXPERIMENTAL MOBILE AUTOMATON

Abstract : For the past five years there has been underway at Stanford Research Institute a large program whose major objectives are: (1) To investigate and develop technique in artificial intelligence, and (2) Apply these technique to the control of a mobile vehicle enabling it to carry out, autonomously, incompletely specified tasks in a realistic laboratory environment. We are thus developing an integrated system of computer programs and controlled hardware to serve as a test bed for research in machine intelligence. The tasks selected were such that would normally require human intellect in sensing, problem solving, planning, and execution. By developing artificial intelligence technique of sufficient generality, we hope to devise systems capable of replacing humans in situations that are either environmentally hostile, too remote for satisfactory communication and control, or that require very rapid and tireless response to sensed signals.