The Autonomous System (eBook)

SZABOLCS MICHAEL de GYURKY was the Voyager Project Science Data Chief and a Technical Principal/Technical Manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, retiring after twenty-five years. He was awarded the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal for technological advancements of fundamental importance. He has long been fascinated by the concept of computer science as an abstraction of the human thought system and the role of the cognitive sciences in computer science. He is the author of The Cognitive Dynamics of Computer Science (Wiley). MARK A. TARBELL is a Visiting Scientist at the California Institute of Technology's Visual and Autonomous Exploration Systems Research Laboratory. For the last twenty-five years, he has immersed himself in large-scale computer science, aerospace, and biomedical project development for NASA, Caltech, and JPL. He is the recipient of the NASA Certificate of Recognition for Creative Development of Technical Innovation, co-recipient of the R&D 100 Award in biomedicine, and holds patents in the fields of aerospace and biomedical technologies.

Preface xiii

Introduction xix

1. The Architecture of the Autonomous System 1

1.1 Introduction, 1

1.2 The System Constellation, 1

1.3 System Constellation Architectural Overview, 3

1.4 The Constellation Architecture, 5

1.5 The Software Systems Comprising the Constellation, 8

2. The Architectural Methodology 22

2.1 Articulation of the Requirements and Design, 23

2.2 System Development and Integration Testing, 30

2.3 Phase I: The Idea, 33

2.4 Making Rational Judgments, 36

2.5 Phase II: The Concept, 38

2.6 Using JPL-STD-D-4000 for System Requirements, 39

3. The Architecture of the Will System 41

3.1 The Search for Truth, 41

3.2 The Nature of the Will, 45

3.3 Das Ding an Sich, 45

3.4 The Will as a System, 49

3.5 The Architecture of the Will System, 51

3.6 The Interfaces of the Will System, 53

3.7 The Subsystems of the Will System, 54

4. The Architecture of the Reason System 62

4.1 The Reason and Ethics, 62

4.2 The Nature of the Reason, 64

4.3 The Reason as a System, 65

4.4 The Architecture of the Reason System, 65

4.5 The External Interfaces of the Reason, 67

4.6 The Subsystems of the Reason, 68

5. The Architecture of the Intellect System 74

5.1 The Intellect as a System, 74

5.2 The Nature of the Intellect, 77

5.3 The Intellect as a System, 79

5.4 The Subsystems of the Intellect System, 80

5.5 The External Interfaces of the Intellect System, 81

6. The Architecture of the Presentation System 83

6.1 The Presentation System, 84

6.2 The Presentation as a System, 86

6.3 The Subsystems of the Presentation, 86

7. The Architecture of the Understanding System 90

7.1 The Understanding as a System, 92

7.2 The External Interfaces of the Understanding, 94

8. The Architecture of the Sensory System 98

8.1 The Sensory System, 98

8.2 The Architecture of the Sensory System, 100

8.3 The Phenomenon Subsystem, 101

8.4 A Historical Perspective on Languages, 104

8.5 The Workings of the Noumenon, 105

9. The Architecture of the Decision System 107

9.1 The Process of Decision Making, 107

9.2 Understanding the Decision Process, 111

9.3 The Decision as a System, 113

9.4 The Subsystems of the Decision System, 114

9.5 The Interfaces of the Decision System, 121

9.6 The Building of Preferences, 121

10. The Architecture of the Thought System 124

10.1 The "Movers" of the Thought Process, 125

10.2 The Pursuit of Thinking, 127

10.3 The Nexus Cogitationis, 128

10.4 The Subsystems of the Thought System, 130

10.5 Initialization Process of the Autonomous System, 136

Epilogue 142

Endnotes 144

Index 155