The research will be directed at basic principles and methods for the design, planning, and implementation of automated construction processes as related to excavation. The research will develop in three major areas: (1) manipulation that reasons on force as well as geometry (using mechanical hardware, controls, sensing, models, and reflexes) to perform force intensive movement through an inhomogeneous medium where conventional object models do not apply; (2) host architecture that supports symbolic interpretation, modeling, tactical planning, and communications to imbue the robot with capabilities to perform as a harnessed free agent; and (3) planning that supports goal-directed, dynamic decision making at the strategic level including cognition, design, optimization, and scheduling.
