Page 116 - Concise Encyclopedia of Robotics

Expert System
A full exoskeleton differs from a telepresence system. In telepresence,
the human operator is not at the same location as the robot. But when a
human wears an exoskeleton, he or she is on site with the machine. This
is both an asset and a liability: it allows for greater control and better
sensing of the work environment, but in some instances it can place the
human operator in physical peril. Compare TELEPRESENCE.
EXPERT SYSTEM
An expert system is a scheme of computer reasoning, also known as a
rule-based system. Expert systems are used in the control of smart robots.
They can also be employed in stand-alone computers.
The drawing is a block diagram of a typical expert system. The heart
of the device is a set of facts and rules. In the case of a robotic system, the
facts consist of data about the robot’s environment, such as a factory, an
office, or a kitchen. The rules are statements of the logical form “If X,
then Y,” similar to statements in high-level programming languages.
An inference engine decides which logical rules should be applied in
various situations. Then it instructs the robot(s) to carry out certain
tasks. However, the operation of the system can only be as sophisticated
as the data supplied by human programmers.
Robot
Rules

Robot
Inference Human
engine operator

Robot

Facts
Robot

Expert system

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