Ralph: Architecture Background
The Ralph agent starts with the idea of an ideal decision-theoretic framework,
where the agent will always choose the best possible action with respect to
its goals. Realizing that this ideal is not realistically possible, the
Ralph architecture attempt to come as close to it as possible through the use
of two specific architectural components,
Multiple Execution Architectures, and
meta-level control of planning.
These techniques are demonstrated using an autonomous underwater vehicle.
This particular domain requires real-time, complex behavior, and the
consequences of inappropriate behavior are costly. In addition, the agent
must be able to act independently for extended periods of time. For
these reasons this is seen as an ideal testbed for the Ralph Architecture.
Detail from Ralph