High autonomy systems: concepts and models

A review is presented of recent developments of concepts related to high autonomy systems and the roles played by conventional control theory and artificial intelligence. Autonomy is shown to be an extended paradigm that subsumes both control and AI paradigms, each of which is limited by its own abstractions. Autonomy, as a design goal, offers an arena where both control and AI paradigms must be applied as well as and a challenge to the viability of both as independent entities. Architectures in which such paradigms can be integrated are discussed, with some focus on a model-based approach. Benchmarks for levels of autonomy that arise out of the model-based architecture are given.<>