Report Number: CS-TR-74-406
Institution: Stanford University, Department of Computer Science
Title: Memory model for a robot.
Author: Perkins, W. A.
Date: January 1974
Abstract: A memory model for a robot has been designed and tested in a simple toy-block world for which it has shown clarity, efficiency, and generality. In a constrained pseudo-English one can ask the program to manipulate objects and query it about the present, past, and possible future states of its world. The program has a good understanding of its world and gives intelligent answers in reasonably good English. Past and hypothetical states of the world are handled by changing the state of the world in an imaginary context. Procedures interrogate and modify two global databases, one which contains the present representation of the world and another which contains the past history of events, conversations, etc. The program has the ability to create, destroy, and even resurrect objects in its world.
http://i.stanford.edu/pub/cstr/reports/cs/tr/74/406/CS-TR-74-406.pdf