Page 186 - Concise Encyclopedia of Robotics

Kludge
tools used before, and the order in which they were used, is called a K
line. The next time the water heater needs repair, the robot can refer to
the K line to streamline the process of executing the task.
Of course, there are many different things that can go wrong with a
water heater. The second time the water heater breaks down, the K line
for the first repair might not work. In that sort of case, the robot must
refine its knowledge, devising a second K line for the new problem. Over
time, the robot will learn several different schemes for fixing a water
heater, each scheme tailored to a specific problem. The illustration is a
flowchart showing how a repertoire of K lines can be developed so the
robot learns by experience.
See also HEURISTIC KNOWLEDGE.
Been Yes
here 3 Give up!
times?
No
No
Water Seen No Develop
Start heater problem new
OK? before? K line
Yes Yes
Execute
You are in repair
business!
routine

K-line programming

KLUDGE
A crude, useless, or grossly inefficient device or process is called a kludge
(pronounced “kloodge”). The term is also used in reference to a tempo-
rary fix or patch. You might say,“That contraption is a kludge robot,” or
“This is a kludge that will make the program run more smoothly.”
Kludges are often useful, because they can test an idea without a lot of
trouble and expense. But sometimes, referring to a device or scheme as a
“kludge”is an apology (in the case of one’s own work) or a good-natured
insult (in the case of someone else’s work).

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