D2.1 Requirements and Specification - CORBYS

D2.1 Requirements and Specification
Figure 30: A humanoid robot Armar (Burghart et al.2005)
Sensing and Perception:
The perception sub-system consists of low-, mid-, and high-level perception modules. The low-level
perception module provides fast interpretation of sensor data without accessing the system knowledge
database. It provides typically reflex-like low-level robot control. Within this module data coming from
sensors such as joint position sensors, the force torque sensors located in the robot’s wrists, tactile sensor
arrays used as artificial sensitive skin, and acoustic data for sound and speech activity detection are processed.
The low-level perception module communicates with both the mid-level perception module and the task
execution module via the active models. The mid-level perception module provides a variety of recognition
components and communicates with both the system knowledge database (long-term memory) as well as the
active models (short term memory). The high-level perception module provides more sophisticated
interpretation facilities such as situation recognition, gesture interpretation, movement interpretation, and
intention prediction.
Planning:
The task handling sub-system comprises a three-level hierarchy with task planning, task coordination, and
task execution levels. Robot tasks are planned on the top symbolic level using task knowledge. A symbolic
plan consists of a set of actions, represented either by XML-files or Petri nets, and acquired either by learning
(e.g. through demonstration) or by programming. The task planner interacts with the high-level perception
module, the (long-term memory) system knowledge database, the task coordination level, and an execution
supervisor. This execution supervisor is responsible for the final scheduling of the tasks and resource
management in the robot using Petri nets.
Control (Execution):
A sequence of actions generated are passed down to the task coordination level which then coordinates
(deadlockfree) tasks to be run a the lowest task execution (control) level. In general, during the execution of
any given task, the task coordination level works independently of the task planning level.
Communication:
A dialogue manager, which coordinates communication with users and interpretation of communication
events, provides a bridge between the perception sub-system and the task sub-system. Its operation is
effectively cognitive in the sense that it provides the functionality to recognise the intentions and behaviours
of users.
Learning:
A learning sub-system is also incorporated with the early generations of Armar robot learning tasks and action
sequences off-line by programming by demonstration or tele-operation. On-line learning has been work in
progress in new generations of Armar (Dietsch, 2011). For instance Armar-III actively investigates its
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