Engineering of Mind: An Introduction to the Science of Intelligent Systems

Presenting a reference model architecture for the design of intelligent systems

Engineering of Mind presents the foundations for a computational theory of intelligence. It discusses the main streams of investigation that will eventually converge in a scientific theory of mind and proposes an avenue of research that might best lead to the development of truly intelligent systems.

This book presents a model of the brain as a hierarchy of massive parallel computational modules and data structures interconnected by information pathways. Using this as the basic model on which intelligent systems should be based, the authors propose a reference model architecture that accommodates concepts from artificial intelligence, control theory, image understanding, signal processing, and decision theory. Algorithms, procedures, and data embedded within this architecture would enable the analysis of situations, the formulation of plans, the choice of behaviors, and the computation of uncertainties. The computational power to implement the model can be achieved in practical systems in the foreseeable future through hierarchical and parallel distribution of computational tasks.

The authors' reference model architecture is expressed in terms of the Real-time Control System (RCS) that has been developed primarily at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Suitable for engineers, computer scientists, researchers, and students, Engineering of Mind blends current theory and practice to achieve a coherent model for the design of intelligent systems.

JAMES S. ALBUS is Senior Fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

ALEXANDER M. MEYSTEL is Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Drexel University and a guest researcher at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.