Cognitive Science 3(3):177-212.

Production systems designed to function and grow in environments that make large numbers of different, sometimes competing, and sometimes unexpected demands require support from their interpreters that is qualitatively different from the support required by systems that can be carefully hand crafted to function in constrained environments. In this paper we explore the role of conflict resolution in providing such support. Using criteria developed in the paper, we evaluate both individual conflict resolution rules and strategies that make use of several rules.

See also: MIT.Proc. IJCAI 77 VOL 1, MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, USA, pp.257-263, AUGUST 22-25

Reprinted as Chapter 3 (pp.250-271) of Webber & Nilsson, Readings in Artificial IntelligenceElcock, E. W. and Michie, D. (Eds.), Machine Intelligence 8, pp. 94-€“138. Ellis Horwood.

Research Report No. 25, Edinburgh: Department of Artificial Intelligence, August 1976.

This paper describes BUILD, a computer program which generates plans for building specified structures out of simple objects such as toy blocks. A powerful heuristic control structure enables BUILD to use a number of sophisticated construction techniques in its plans. Among these are the incorporation of pre-existing structure into the final design, pre-assembly of movable sub-structures on the table, and the use of extra blocks as temporary supports and counterweights in the course of the construction. BUILD does its planning in a modeled 3-space in which blocks of various shapes and sizes can be represented in any orientation and location. The modeling system can maintain several world models at once, and contains modules for displaying states, testing them for inter-object contact and collision, and for checking the stability of complex structures involving frictional forces.

A versatile assembly system, using TV cameras and oomputer-controlled arm and moving table, is described. It makes almple assemblies such aa a peg and rings and a toy car. It separates parts from a heap, recognising them with an overhead camera, then assembles them by feel. It can be instructed to perform a new task with different parte by spending an hour showing it the parts and a day or two programming the assembly manipulations. A hierarchical description of parts, views, outlines etc. is used to construct models, and a structure matching algorithm is used in recognition.Later version appearing in Artificial Intelligence, Vol 6, pp. 129(1975) (available for a fee).In IJCAI-73: THIRD INTERNATIONAL JOINT CONFERENCE ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, 20-23 August 1973, Stanford University Stanford, California.

In IJCAI-73, pp. 423–430.

Machine Intelligence 7

In Meltzer, Bernard and Donald Michie (Eds.), Machine Intelligence 5. Edinburgh University Press.