Skip to main content

An argument for a hybrid HTN/operator-based approach to planning

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Recent Advances in AI Planning (ECP 1997)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 1348))

Included in the following conference series:

Abstract

Work on generative planning systems has focused on two diverse approaches to plan construction. Hierarchical task network (HTN) planners build plans by successively refining high-level goals into lower-level activities. Operator-based planners employ means-end analysis to formulate plans consisting of low-level activities. While many have argued the universal dominance of a single approach, we present an alternative view: that in different situations either may be most appropriate. To support this view, we describe a number of advantages and disadvantages of these approaches in light of our experiences in developing two real-world, fielded planning systems.

This paper describes work performed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Carbonell, J.G.; Blythe, J.; Etzioni, O.; Gil, Y.; Joseph, R.; Kahn, D.; Knoblock, C.; Minton, S.; Pérez, M. A.; Reilly, S.; Veloso, M.; and Wang, X. 1992. PRODIGY 4.0: The Manual and Tutorial. Technical report, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University.

    Google Scholar 

  2. D. Chapman, “Planning for Conjunctive Goals”, 1987, Artificial Intelligence 32, 3.

    Google Scholar 

  3. S. A. Chien and H. B. Mortensen, “Automating Image Processing for Scientific Data Analysis of a Large Image Database,” IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence 18 (8): pp. 854–859, August 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  4. S. Chien, A. Govindjee, T. Estlin, X. Wang, A. Griesel, R. Hill Jr., Automated Generation of Tracking Plans for a Network of Communications Antennas, Proc. 1997 IEEE Aerospace Conference, Aspen, CO, February, 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  5. S. A. Chien, R. W. Hill Jr., X. Wang, T. Estlin, K. V. Fayyad, and H. B. Mortensen, “Why Real-world Planning is Difficult: A Tale of Two Applications,” Proceedings of the Third European Workshop on Planning (EWSP95), Assisi, Italy, September 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  6. K. Erol, J. Hendler, and D. Nau, “UMCP: A Sound and Complete Procedure for Hierarchical Task Network Planning,” Proc. AIPS94, Chicago, IL, June 1994, pp. 249–254.

    Google Scholar 

  7. J. Firby, “Modularity Issues in Reactive Planning,” Proc. AIPS96, Edinburgh, UK, May 1996, pp. 78–85.

    Google Scholar 

  8. AI Planning Systems in the Real World, IEEE Expert, December 1996, pp. 4–12.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Kambhampati, S., A Comparative Analysis of partial order planning and task reduction planning, SIGART Bulletin, Special Issue on Evaluating Plans, Planners, and Planning, Vol 6, No. 1, January 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Minton S., J. Bresina, and M. Drummond, “Commitment Strategies in Planning: A Comparative Analysis,” Proceedings AAAI-91.

    Google Scholar 

  11. J. S. Penberthy and D. S. Weld, “UCPOP: A Sound Complete, Partial Order Planner for ADL,” Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Knowledge Representation and Reasoning, October 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  12. G. Collins and L. Pryor, “Achieving the functionality of filter conditions in a partial order planner,” Proceedings AAAI92, pp. 375–380.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Tate, A., B. Drabble, and R. Kirby, “O-Plan2: An Open Architecture for Command Planning and Control,” in Intelligent Scheduling (Eds. M. Fox and M. Zweben), Morgan Kaufmann, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  14. D. Wilkins. Practical Planning. Extending the Classical AI Planning Paradigm. Morgan Kaufmann, 1988.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Sam Steel Rachid Alami

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1997 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Estlin, T.A., Chien, S.A., Wang, X. (1997). An argument for a hybrid HTN/operator-based approach to planning. In: Steel, S., Alami, R. (eds) Recent Advances in AI Planning. ECP 1997. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 1348. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-63912-8_85

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-63912-8_85

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-63912-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-69665-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics