A Computational Structure For Enforcing Reactive Behavior In A Mobile Robot

An approach is presented which allows for the construction of robot behavior in terms of both spatially and temporally ordered sets of primitive reflexive behaviors. Each primitive reflexive behavior is based upon a stimulus/response model in which the devices which affect behavior are separated from the mechanism for controlling behavior. The approach allows for the explicit representation of complex forms of behavior through the use of abstraction. Behavior is represented in terms of component behaviors and acts to enforce declarative constraints between when a particular component behavior is active and when specific events occur in the environment and/or internal to the robot. In addition, we discuss the need for reactive behavior and illustrate how such behavior can be constructed using the proposed representation.