A Gopher Robot

Reactive programming involves controlling the actions of a robot purely in terms of current sensor readings. This robot control paradigm provides fast, effective control with minimal computation. However, it is difficult to use reactive programming to perform highly sequential tasks such as following a map. The project reported in this paper is an attempt to apply a modified form of reactive control to such sequential tasks. As a demonstration we have chosen the location and retrieval of an object as a task for our Gopher Robot to perform. Actions of the robot are programmed as a sequence of reactively controlled modules. Each module has specific termination conditions which lead on to additional modules. By chaining together appropriate modules the robot can be programmed to follow a map, locate a specific object and return to its starting point. This paper describes the Gopher robot, its sensors and computational resources. The Gopher Robot has successfully navigated from one room to another where it has retrieved a can of soft drink from a previously specified position. Details of this experiment are also provided.