We describe an integrated strategy for planning, perception, state-estimation and action in complex mobile manipulation domains based on planning in the belief space of probability distributions over states using hierarchical goal regression (pre-image back-chaining). We develop a vocabulary of logical expressions that describe sets of belief states, which are goals and subgoals in the planning...

In this paper, we describe an integrated strategy for planning, perception, state-estimation and action in complex mobile manipulation domains. The strategy is based on planning in the belief space of probability distribution over states. Our planning approach is based on hierarchical goal regression (pre-image back-chaining). We develop a vocabulary of fluents that describe sets of belief stat...

This paper presents an integrated task planning and control approach for manipulating a nonholonomic cart by mobile manipulators. The task considered in this study is to manipulate a nonholonomic cart to perform certain tasks such as pushing the cart along a straight line, making a turn at a corner, or tracking a sine wave. The cart manipulation task fully integrates the motion and force planni...

We are developing mixed-initiative systems that provide users with flexible control over evolving processes. For such systems to be feasible, both users and automated agents must be able to operate at multiple levels of abstraction. We are designing mixed initiative systems organized around shared task models to achieve this multi-level task sharing. These task models will allow both human and ...

“Can’t your robot do this for you?” People have great expectations of what tasks robots can accomplish and have been dreaming of intelligent machines that can understand, perceive, and manipulate. While today’s robot systems may not quite fulfill this dream, research in individual areas on automated planning, path planning, and robot control has made substantial progress. However, integrating t...

This paper provides an approach to integrating geometric motion planning with logical task planning for long-horizon tasks in domains with many objects. We propose a tight integration between the logical and geometric aspects of planning. We use a logical representation which includes entities that refer to poses, grasps, paths and regions, without the need for a priori discretization. Given th...

Spontaneous fluctuations in neural activity and connectivity are thought to support cognition and behavior. In this issue of Neuron, Shine et al. (2016) describe a possible mechanism responsible for fluctuations in the human brain's network architecture that are related to rapid shifts in cognitive state.

There is an emerging class of real-time interactive applications that require the dynamic integration of task and data parallelism. An example is the Smart Kiosk, a free-standing computer device that provides information and entertainment to people in public spaces. The kiosk interface is computationally demanding: It employs vision and speech sensing and an animated graphical talking face for ...