Homework 4 - The Hybrid Deliberative/Reactive Paradigm

As discussed in class, the primary control paradigm for mobile robots currently is the hybrid deliberative/reactive paradigm which, as its name implies, combines aspects of both the deliberative and reactive paradigms you have studied previously. Like the deliberative paradigm, it contains sensing, planning, and acting. Like the reactive paradigm, at least some of the sensing is closely tied to acting for faster response.

Consider again the mission of acting as a robotic guide to DEH and RAWL, as described in Homework 3.

1. List and describe a set of tasks that the robot could carry out to successfully complete this mission. (Note that this could be but is not required to be the same set of tasks you listed and described in Homework 3.)
2. Select a particular hybrid robot architecture (from the textbook, the additional readings, or the broader robotics literature) that you believe would be well suited to the robotic guide mission. Explain why you believe it to be well suited to this mission. (That is, make a cogent argument in favor of using this architecture and defend your choice with reference to specific information about your selected architecture.)
3. For each task you listed, explain how it would be handled by a robot using the architecture you selected.

Turn in via D2L an electronic copy of this assignment consisting of your typed responses to the exercises above. In total, your responses should run from 1.5 to 2.5 pages in length (roughly 80 characters per line, 50 lines per page). This does not count any diagrams or other figures that you may choose to include which may be of any size.