Competition and co-operation-a model for behaviour-based robot controllers

This paper describes work carried out at the University of Kent to examine possible improvements to Brooks´ Subsumption Architecture (1986), with the aims of improving the re-usability of behavioural components across robot platforms, reducing code repetition, and providing a ´smooth´ mechanism for switching between behaviours. This work is based upon the use of weighted sum ´combiner´ nodes along with traditional subsumption units such as the suppressor, in conjunction with the use of a vehicle-independent vector representation of data within the controller. By using this modified architecture a behavioural controller has been designed and implemented on a pair of robots, with only minor tailoring for each of the robots.