Grounding Robot Sensory and Symbolic Information Using the Semantic Web

Robots interacting with other agents in dynamic environments require robust knowledge management capabilities if they are to communicate, learn and exhibit intelligent behaviour. Symbol grounding involves creating, and maintaining, the linkages between internal symbols used for decision making with the real world phenomena to which those symbols refer. We implement grounding using ontologies designed for the Semantic Web. We use SONY AIBO robots and the robot soccer domain to illustrate our approach. Ontologies can provide an important bridge between the perceptual level and the symbolic level and in so doing they can be used to ground sensory information. A major advantage of using ontologies to ground sensory and symbolic information is that they enhance interoperability, knowledge sharing, knowledge reuse and communication between agents. Once objects are grounded in ontologies, Semantic Web technologies can be used to access, build, derive, and manage robot knowledge.