An Examination Of The Application Of Expert Systems In Unmanned Untethered submersibles

An investigation is underway into the role of expert systems for the adaptive guidance and control of unmanned untetheted submersible vehicles. The emphasis is on understanding the potentials and problems of using expert systems that are time constrained. The expert system has evolved as a competent method of solving relatively complex problems. The bulk of successful approaches, however, seek to determine cause, or conversely consequence, through the manipulation of a mass of knowledge. The "expert" consists of a set of decision rules that represent the sum judgment of a human Unfortunately, the underwater automation encountering a hazard miles from home can not seek a time consuming diagnosis. It must establish an optimal response when presented with an unexpected event that is often ill defined. Little emphasis has been placed on expert systems that deal with time explicitly. The untethered vehicle, however, must constantly react to external and internal events, must perform high speed data acquisition, and must provide control under very severe time constraints. A solution to this problem will permit intelligent systems to achieve much in the ocean. This paper describes some of the problems and approaches associated with applying time constrained expert system technology to guide an autonomous vehicle relaibly through its mission goals.