A Framework for Integrating Symbolic and Sub-Symbolic Representations

Keith Clark, Bernhard Hengst, Maurice Pagnucco, David Rajaratnam, Peter Robinson, Claude Sammut, Michael Thielscher

Abstract: This paper establishes a framework that hierarchically integrates symbolic and sub-symbolic representations in an architecture for cognitive robotics. It is formalised abstractly as nodes in a hierarchy, with each node a sub-task that maintains its own belief-state and generates behaviour. An instantiation is developed for a real robot building towers of blocks, subject to human interference; this hierarchy uses a node with a concurrent multi-tasking teleo-reactive program, a node embedding a physics simulator to provide spatial knowledge, and nodes for sensor processing and robot control.