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Grounded Symbolic Communication between Heterogeneous Cooperating Robots

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Abstract

In this paper, we describe the implementation of a heterogeneous cooperative multi-robot system that was designed with a goal of engineering a grounded symbolic representation in a bottom-up fashion. The system comprises two autonomous mobile robots that perform cooperative cleaning. Experiments demonstrate successful purposive navigation, map building and the symbolic communication of locations in a behavior-based system. We also examine the perceived shortcomings of the system in detail and attempt to understand them in terms of contemporary knowledge of human representation and symbolic communication. From this understanding, we propose the Adaptive Symbol Grounding Hypothesis as a conception for how symbolic systems can be envisioned.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Engineering Science Advanced Research (CESAR), Computer Science and Mathematics Division (CSMD), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA

    David Jung

  2. Robotic Systems Laboratory (RSL), Department of Systems Engineering, Research School of Information Sciences and Engineering, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia

    Alexander Zelinsky

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  1. David Jung
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  2. Alexander Zelinsky
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Jung, D., Zelinsky, A. Grounded Symbolic Communication between Heterogeneous Cooperating Robots. Autonomous Robots 8, 269–292 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008929609573

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