Hierarchical hybrid control of manipulators - Artificial intelligence in LSI.

The need for remotely controlled manipulators and explorers, coupled with emerging large-scale integrated (LSI) circuit technology, foreshadow the dominant role of a style of hybrid control. Systems having many degrees of freedom should be guided and regulated by controllers to which commands are given in purpose-oriented form, to be converted into appropriate machine-oriented signals to effectors for achieving the purpose. In particular, numerical tabulations of functions should be replaced by low-level analog microcircuit realizations of the functions, particularly when feedback can keep errors from piling up. The study is concerned with new problems and organizations that arise in attempting to exploit obvious principles to the fullest degree.