A Schema-based Approach to Cooperative Problem Solving
with Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

Abstract

In this paper, we describe work in progress on a schema-based approach to mission-level control of real-world physical systems such as AUVs. Schema-based reasoning is a unified approach to cooperative problem solving, incorporating both problem solving and communication. This approach uses schemas to capture patterns in the agent's world and in its behavior. By using the schemas, the agent can quickly determine what to do without resorting to lengthy reasoning. Schemas represent commitments to future actions, allowing the agent to overcome many of the shortcomings of purely reactive planning approaches, yet the schema-based reasoning process is still reactive to changes in the agent's environment. Moreover, contextual schemas are used to represent kinds of problem-solving situations the agent will likely encounter. This conditions the agent's behavior to automatically fit its situation.