R. Brooks, A Robust Layered Control System for a Mobile Robot. IEEE Journal of Robotics and Automation, 2 (1), 1986.

Author of the summary: J. William Murdock, 1997, murdock@cc.gatech.edu

Cite this paper for:

• Robot control can be effectively handled by a layered hierarchy of agents operating at increasingly high levels of abstraction.

Keywords: Subsumption Architecture, Robotics

Systems: An unnamed simulation of a robot and an unnamed robot.

Summary: Discusses the basic desirable characteristics of robots
(robustness, extensibility, etc.) and argues that past work in
robotics lacks these characteristics.  Presents a set of basic
propositions about robotics: robots should be simple in nature but
flexible in behavior, capable of acting autonomously over long periods
of time in uncertain, noisy, realistic, and changing worlds, etc.
States that past work in robotics has divided the general control
problem into "horizontal" components: sensing, planning, execution,
etc.  Argues that a better approach is to divide competence up into
levels of abstractness (e.g. moving about, navigating, exploring,
reasoning, planning, etc.) in which higher levels impose control over
lower ones.  Terms this approach "subsumption architecture."
Describes a language for representing such an architecture.  Describes
a preliminary system which implements the lowest levels of such an
architecture.  Describes a simulated and an actual robot which use
this system.

Summary author's notes:

• This summary came from a file which had the following disclaimer: "The following summaries are the completely unedited and often hastily composed interpretations of a single individual without any sort of systematic or considered review. As such it is very likely that at least some of the following text is incomplete, inadequate, misleading, or simply wrong. One might view this as a very preliminary draft of a survey paper that will probably never be completed. The author disclaims all responsibility for the accuracy or use of this document; this is not an official publication of the Georgia Institute of Technology or the College of Computing thereof, and the opinions expressed here may not even fully match the fully considered opinions of the author much less the general opinions of the aformentioned organizations."