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Explanation Generation for Multi-Modal Multi-Agent Path Finding with Optimal Resource Utilization using Answer Set Programming

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 September 2020

AYSU BOGATARKAN  and
ESRA ERDEM Open the ORCID record for ESRA ERDEM [Opens in a new window]
AYSU BOGATARKAN
Affiliation:
Sabanci University, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey (e-mail: aysubogatarkan@sabanciuniv.edu, esraerdem@sabanciuniv.edu)
ESRA ERDEM
Affiliation:
Sabanci University, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey (e-mail: aysubogatarkan@sabanciuniv.edu, esraerdem@sabanciuniv.edu)
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Abstract

The multi-agent path finding (MAPF) problem is a combinatorial search problem that aims at finding paths for multiple agents (e.g., robots) in an environment (e.g., an autonomous warehouse) such that no two agents collide with each other, and subject to some constraints on the lengths of paths. We consider a general version of MAPF, called mMAPF, that involves multi-modal transportation modes (e.g., due to velocity constraints) and consumption of different types of resources (e.g., batteries). The real-world applications of mMAPF require flexibility (e.g., solving variations of mMAPF) as well as explainability. Our earlier studies on mMAPF have focused on the former challenge of flexibility. In this study, we focus on the latter challenge of explainability, and introduce a method for generating explanations for queries regarding the feasibility and optimality of solutions, the nonexistence of solutions, and the observations about solutions. Our method is based on answer set programming.

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Type
Original Article
Information
Theory and Practice of Logic Programming , Volume 20 , Issue 6: 36th International Conference on Logic Programming Special Issue II , November 2020 , pp. 974 - 989
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

*

This work is supported by Tubitak Grant 118E931.

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