16.422 Exercise 1

Andrew Brooks

Overall task: cleaning a building

Method 1

Concerned with administration of flow of materials/assets.
Task Information Required Decisions Control Action Completion Criterion
Pay for cleaning materials Cost of materials When to pay, whether price acceptable Initiate funds transfer Receipt of funds acknowledged
Receive and allocate storage of cleaning materials Time of delivery, volume of materials, current inventory Where to store Inform receivers All material stored
Distribute cleaning materials Number of cleaners How much material to allocate each cleaner Inform cleaners All material allocated
Remove waste material Quantity of waste Method of removal Ensure adequate onsite storage, employ removal contractor Sufficient waste removed

Each of these tasks requires an intelligent decision to be made at least once, while the actions required and criteria for completion are routine processes that could be repeated according to simple rules, such as performing funds transfer or sending automatic e-mail. Thus each task could be automated according to the following scheme:

Method 2

Concerned with physical performance of actions towards overall goal.
Task Information Required Decisions Control Action Completion Criterion
Transport cleaning materials to site Location of warehouse, amount of materials Choice of vehicle and route Operate vehicle Materials relocated to site
Store cleaning materials Where to store How to stack crates most efficiently Lift, carry and place crates All materials in storeroom
Load cleaning materials into cleaning apparatus Specific materials required Amount of materials to load Transfer materials from crate to cleaning apparatus Cleaning apparatus ready for operation
Operate cleaning apparatus Layout of building How to optimize cleaning strategy Operate cleaning apparatus, move around building Building clean
Clean and maintain cleaning apparatus State of apparatus Degree of service required; where to place waste Clean and service apparatus, move waste products Cleaning apparatus ready for repeat cycle

These tasks all involve complex control procedures and intelligent autonomous algorithms. While some degree of automation is possible in all cases, it is not necessarily desirable due to the nascent nature of the technology in some of these areas, which could result in relatively low efficiency and high cost. In this case, the subtasks will be treated separately, and numbers given are the maximum degree of automation desirable.

Transport cleaning materials to site:

At present, computer systems are not capable of high-level control of a vehicle on a public thoroughfare. However, various computer systems are available to assist a human in operating a vehicle, from provision of possible route information via onboard GPS navigation systems to the computer control of basic vehicle functions such as fuel injection. Thus in this case a human takes care of the high-level cognitive functions, while the computer controls much of the basic vehicle operation.

Store cleaning materials:

The controlled conditions of a storeroom and the mathematical calculations of space optimization lend themselves well to automation, as do the functions of heavy lifting and ordered stacking. Whether or not automation should be selected here is almost entirely a function of the size of the storeroom.

Load materials into cleaning apparatus:

Unpacking crates and loading the contents into smaller apparatus requires fine motor skills and coordination best left to a human operator at this point in current technological development. The computer's main assistance is in a reference capacity.

Operate cleaning apparatus:

Autonomous cleaning robots are beginning to come into usage in various markets. Autonomous sensing technology is still in its infancy, so most have to be manually preprogrammed with the layout of the task area. However, once programmed, they can be reasonably good at selecting efficient strategies for covering the desired space. Control systems to allow the cleaning apparatus itself to be operated in an effective manner are well developed.

Clean and maintain cleaning apparatus:

Most apparatus of this type is not capable of effective self-maintenance, so the computer's role, if any, is to provide diagnostic and reference information that assist the human maintenance staff in keeping the equipment in good working condition.

Scale Reference

  1. The computer offers no assistance: the human must do it all.
  2. The computer suggests alternative ways to do the task.
  3. The computer selects one way to do the task.
  4. The computer selects one way to do the task, and executes that suggestion if the human approves.
  5. The computer selects one way to do the task, and allows the human a restricted time to veto before automatic execution.
  6. The computer selects one way to do the task, and executes automatically, then necessarily informs the human.
  7. The computer selects one way to do the task, and executes automatically, then informs the human only if asked.
  8. The computer selects, executes and ignores the human.