Questions and Answers Among Multiple Robots for Dynamically Enhancing Each Robot’s Capability

Abstract

The importance for performing a work through the cooperation of multiple robots is also being emphasized over many tasks done by granting various functions to a single robot. In the past, the research has mainly been done on the algorithm when multiple robots behave cooperatively. In addition, such a method has also been taken in many cases that a human issues instructions and work skills to a robot. However, a human's burden can be greatly alleviated if a robot can issue the instructions and transmit the knowledge to another robot. The present study considers the case in which a robot teaches the knowledge to another robot through questions and answers. In this case, the expression format of the necessary knowledge and the knowledge transmission method are proposed. The robot that teaches the knowledge must know what type of knowledge the taught robot holds. On the other hand, the taught robot must previously hold the minimum level knowledge to understand what is taught. First of all, the same format of knowledge possessed by the respective robots must be shared for the sake of standardization of knowledge. Next, the transmission of knowledge means writing the character string into the counterpart robot's database. The processing inside the counterpart robot's database is entirely done in CD form (conceptual dependency form). Using this CD form simplifies the transmission and processing of knowledge and the translation into a lower level robot language. Furthermore, the conformity with various robots which are being developed using the CD form can also be improved. A teacher robot could teach the procedures of assembling work to a worker robot using this system.