A Genetic Approach toFinding a Controller toBackUpaTractor-Trailer Truck

Problems ofcontrol canberecast asrequiring thediscovery ofacomputer program (i.e., control strategy) that takes the state variables ofaproblem asits inputs andproduces the values ofthecontol variables asitsoutput Thispaper describes therecently developed genetic programming paadigm whichgeneticaly breeds apopulaton ofcomputer programs tosolve problems. Genetic gbegins withapopulation ofhundreds orthousands ofrandom computer prgrams andimproves themfm generation to generation using theDarwinian operation offitness proportionate reproduction andthegenetic operation of sexual recombination. Thesexual recombination operation combines parts oftwoparental computer programs to produce newoffspring programs, eachparent being selected proportional tofitness, Thispaper shows, step bystep, howtoapply genetic pro gtothefour dimensional control problem ofbakcing upatctor-trailer mcktoa loading dock. Geneticprogramming breedsan approximately correct computer program (i.e., control stregyYthat successfully pfomstherequired task.