SkiROS2: A skill-based Robot Control Platform for ROS

The need for autonomous robot systems in both the service and the industrial domain is larger than ever. In the latter, the transition to small batches or even "batch size 1" in production created a need for robot control system architectures that can provide the required flexibility. Such architectures must not only have a sufficient knowledge integration framework. It must also support autonomous mission execution and allow for interchangeability and interoperability between different tasks and robot systems. We introduce SkiROS2, a skill-based robot control platform on top of ROS. SkiROS2 proposes a layered, hybrid control structure for automated task planning, and reactive execution, supported by a knowledge base for reasoning about the world state and entities. The scheduling formulation builds on the extended behavior tree model that merges task-level planning and execution. This allows for a high degree of modularity and a fast reaction to changes in the environment. The skill formulation based on pre-, hold- and post-conditions allows to organize robot programs and to compose diverse skills reaching from perception to low-level control and the incorporation of external tools. We relate SkiROS2 to the field and outline three example use cases that cover task planning, reasoning, multisensory input, integration in a manufacturing execution system and reinforcement learning.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures. Accepted at 2023 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS

Formal representation and proof for cooperative games

In this contribution we present some work we have been doing in representing and proving theorems from the area of economics, and mainly we present work we will do in a project in which we will apply mechanised theorem proving tools to a class of economic problems for which very few general tools currently exist. For mechanised theorem proving, the research introduces the field to a new application domain with a large user base; more specifically, the researchers are collaborating with developers working on state-of-the-art theorem provers. For economics, the research will provide tools for handling a hard class of problems; more generally, as the first application of mechanised theorem proving to centrally involve economic theorists, it aims to properly introduce mechanised theorem proving techniques to the discipline.\u

Applying machine learning to the problem of choosing a heuristic to select the variable ordering for cylindrical algebraic decomposition

Cylindrical algebraic decomposition(CAD) is a key tool in computational algebraic geometry, particularly for quantifier elimination over real-closed fields. When using CAD, there is often a choice for the ordering placed on the variables. This can be important, with some problems infeasible with one variable ordering but easy with another. Machine learning is the process of fitting a computer model to a complex function based on properties learned from measured data. In this paper we use machine learning (specifically a support vector machine) to select between heuristics for choosing a variable ordering, outperforming each of the separate heuristics.Comment: 16 page

Technology assessment of advanced automation for space missions

Six general classes of technology requirements derived during the mission definition phase of the study were identified as having maximum importance and urgency, including autonomous world model based information systems, learning and hypothesis formation, natural language and other man-machine communication, space manufacturing, teleoperators and robot systems, and computer science and technology

Formal nursing terminology systems: a means to an end

In response to the need to support diverse and complex information requirements, nursing has developed a number of different terminology systems. The two main kinds of systems that have emerged are enumerative systems and combinatorial systems, although some systems have characteristics of both approaches. Differences in the structure and content of terminology systems, while useful at a local level, prevent effective wider communication, information sharing, integration of record systems, and comparison of nursing elements of healthcare information at a more global level. Formal nursing terminology systems present an alternative approach. This paper describes a number of recent initiatives and explains how these emerging approaches may help to augment existing nursing terminology systems and overcome their limitations through mediation. The development of formal nursing terminology systems is not an end in itself and there remains a great deal of work to be done before success can be claimed. This paper presents an overview of the key issues outstanding and provides recommendations for a way forward