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From: sfp@mars.ornl.gov (Phil Spelt)
Newsgroups: comp.realtime,comp.ai,comp.lang.lisp,comp.lang.c++,comp.robotics
Subject: Re: "Easy" way to put "AI" in realtime embedded systems?
Summary: Embedded Intelligence for robotics -- not "easy", but better?
Keywords: realtime, ai, c++, lisp, embedded
Message-ID: <1991Mar27.151129.8754@cs.utk.edu>
Date: 27 Mar 91 15:11:29 GMT
References: <1991Mar26.163917.14641@unhd.unh.edu>
Sender: usenet@cs.utk.edu (USENET News Poster)
Reply-To: sfp@mars.epm.ornl.gov (Phil Spelt)
Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab
Lines: 26

In article 777, Steven Chappell inquires about embedded AI, suggesting
several possible alternatives, and reports choosing "rehost" as their
solution.  My question:  Why stay with LISP?????

Concerning "embedded architecture" robotic control, we here at the Center
for Engineering Systems Advanced Research (CESAR) have been using just
such an architecture for our autonomous mobile robots for the past 4 or 5
years.  We have chosen the "rehost" solution, also, but with entirely different directions:

Our hardware configuration is: IBM PC/AT (industrialized), so that there is an 80286 host running 16 nodes of an NCube hypercube parallel computer.  All code
is written in 'C' (er, well, ONE program on the host is in FORTRAN).  We use 
an expert system to control both naviagtion and machine learning.  This is
created in CLIPS, which runs in two versions on two different nodes (one for navigation and one for Learning).  CLIPS provides the source code, which we then
ported to the node environment.  It also provides "LISP-like" rule construction,
but with (IMHO  8=) ) much better mathematical computation ability on the RHS.
Our robot runs around in an "unstructured", dynamic environment, locates a 
control panel, and learns to manipulate the panel to shut off a "DANGER" light.
All this is in "real time" -- the limiting factors are the speed of the arms and of the vision processing.  The ESs perform at a MUCH faster speed than the
mechanical parts of the robot.

I repeat my question:  WHY insist on LISP?????

Phil Spelt, Cognitive Systems & Human Factors Group  sfp@epm.ornl.gov
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Any opinions expressed or implied are my own, IF I choose to own up to them.
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