SIMPLE MAN/ROBOT INTERACTION LANGUAGE

A NATURAL, MICROCOMPUTER-BASED, MAN/ROBOT INTERACTION LANGUAGE IS PROPOSED FOR USE BY NON-TECHNICAL PERSONNEL. BASED ON A THREADED INTERPRETIVE LANGUAGE (FORTH), SUCH A LANGUAGE WILL NOT REQUIRE THE EXTENSIVE OVERHEAD OF AN OPERATING SYSTEM USUALLY ASSOCIATED WITH HIGH-LEVEL, NATURAL LANGUAGES, AND HENCE CAN BE IMPLEMENTED ON INEXPENSIVE, SINGLE-BOARD COMPUTERS. MOREOVER, BECAUSE OF THE INTERPRETIVE NATURE OF THE LANGUAGE, SPEECH INTERACTION WITH ROBOTS WOULD REQUIRE ONLY A SPEECH RECOGNITION FRONT END WITH MINIMAL ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT. THE PROPOSED PHASE I EFFORT WILL PROVIDE THE GROUND WORK FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BASIC ROBOT INTERACTION LANGUAGE. THE FEASIBILITY, DESIRABILITY AND POWER OF A PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE ORIENTED FOR THE NON-TECHNICAL USER WILL BE DEMONSTRATED.