Features and fluents. Vol.1: The representation of knowledge about dynamical systems

Techniques for reasoning about actions and change in the physical world are among the classic research topics in artificial intelligence, motivated by the needs of autonomous robots which must be able to anticipate future developments and analyze problems. This monograph presents a novel methodology for such reasoning. It is based on a systematic approach for identifying the exact range of applicability of a given logic, as opposed to traditional methods based on proposing new logic variants supported by episodical examples. For a number of previously proposed logics, as well as for some new ones, this work characterizes exactly the class of those reasoning tasks where the logic results in the intended set of conclusions, and the class were it does not. The book will be a necessary resource for researchers in knowledge representation, cognitive robotics, and intelligent control. It can also be recommended as a graduate-level text in these fields, especially in light of its emphasis on a strict and systematic methodology.