MACBETH: a multi-agent constraint-based planner [autonomous agent tactical planner]

Abstract

MACBETH is a constraint-based tactical planning engine for multi-agent teams. MACBETH is designed for domains in which a human user must quickly specify a mission to a team of autonomous agents. In these domains, it is more important to rapidly and accurately tailor existing plans to novel situations than to devise totally new plans. To this end, MACBETH combines hierarchical task network planning with modem constraint reasoning techniques, into a mixed-initiative planning system. This mixed-initiative planning system is driven by a graphical user interface inspired by a "playbook" metaphor, to generate, check and modify plans for teams of heterogeneous agents. MACBETH has been tested in two robotics domains: unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) sorties and tactical mobile robotics (TMR).