CAREER: Observing to Plan - Planning to Observe

Duke University, Durham NC

Investigators

Abstract

Abstract for Proposal # 0546709 This proposal aims to perform fundamental research on planning, perception and probabilistic reasoning in the context of a deceptively simple challenge task: A robot is given a crude description of a relatively easily recognizable object to find, and sent into a new environment to find this object. The robot is expected to return with a map showing the location of the object. The following can be said about this task: 1) It is a prerequisite or enabling technology for many other tasks of economic and practical importance; 2) It ought to be possible given existing hardware and computing power; 3) It is not adequately addressed by existing techniques; and 4) It reveals fundamental shortcomings in our understanding of core AI problems. This proposal aims to address these challenges directly with novel approaches to acquiring, representing, and planning with sense data.