About Qualitative Robot Control

Among the obstacles to be overcome for reaching a full mastering of robot control, three of them seem of great importance: 1)To be able to find the optimal bridges linking the qualitative and quantitative control approaches. This point exhibits the problem of precision during a robot physical action.2)When a robot “brain” has to make a decision, to be sure that this decision is not a mistake. The reliability problem is raised with this question.3)All computations modelled into the perception and reasoning phenomena must be performed in real time. Consequently, the computational efficiency problem is brought up. The three questions are not totally independant and, up to now, no one seems able to propose satisfactory solutions. The first step must be attached to explore all qualitatives approches, knowing that quantitative approches, have been extensively studied.We present new results in four types of qualitative control. The two first ones are devoted to trajectory generation using the viability theory and fuzzy sets. The third is dedicated to an adaptative navigation control process and he last is concerned with the planning generator problem.