17.1 AI x Robotics: Technology Challenges and Opportunities in Sensors, Actuators, and Integrated Circuits

In 1956 at the Dartmouth conference, the terminology of artificial intelligence (AI) was first used. In those days it was also called as symbolic AI (Symbolic-AI) [1]. For example, let us assume a block world problem in Fig 17.1.1 (right), where a block is represented as a symbol, “Block1”, and it can be operated by operators such as “PICKUP(Block1). In order to apply the operator “PICKUP” to the target object, “Block1”, the AI system has to check the pre-condition such as “CLEAR Block1”, which means there is no object on “Block1”. The Fig. 17.1.1 (right) shows an example of a task from State-A to State-B. The system has to search the possible operators and the pre-conditions so that State-B is achieved. There are many basic algorithms developed in Symbolic-AI era, which are often used today including the A*-search algorithm. Shakey is the representative example of intelligent robots based on Symbolic-AI. It was a wheel-based movable robot equipped with a TV-camera, Laser-Range-Finder, etc. It can move blocks in the real world using Symbolic-AI technologies. Its behavior control architecture is shown in Fig 17.1.1 (left). It has three steps, SENSE, PLAN, and ACT. Therefore, it is known as the SENSE-PLAN-ACT architecture. It is computationally intensive especially in the PLAN computation, therefore it is difficult if the environment is dynamically changing.