Behavior-based artificial intelligence in miniature mobile robot

An intelligent mobile robot that implements concepts of mechatronics, mobil e robotics, and behavior-based artificial intelligence has been developed. The design process for such a mobile robot employs a concept of simple trad e-off between the mechanical, electrical, and computational systems for the benefit of improving the robot's overall system performance. The main feat ures of the robot, named SCAVENGER, are to navigate freely in a controlled environment, search for one or more target objects with known characteristi cs (colored golf balls), and avoid the other objects as obstacles. A combin ation of infrared sensors, color detectors, and bumper skirts is used to fa cilitate navigation and object recognition. The robot's brain consists of a n on-board MC68HC11 microcontroller, which is programmed in C. The control software implements behavior-based artificial intelligence. where the robot 's overall intelligence is made up of layers of several simple and primitiv e behaviors similar to those observed in insects. In this work, the design of the robot's subsystems, where the implementation of mechatronics is most in effect, is covered in more detail with a particular interest in object recognition and collection systems. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All righ ts reserved.