Secondary manufacturers in the forest products industry face a complex production planning process. Linear programming (LP)-based applications have addressed this production planning issue. However, most models have been developed for a specific plant configuration and cannot readily be applied to others. A relational database approach was used to create an integrated linear programming-based d...

A constraint-based scheduling system called SPIKE is used to create long-term schedules for the Hubble Space Telescope. A meta-level scheduler called the Criterion Autoscheduler for Long range planning (CASL) has been created to guide SPIKE's schedule generation according to the agenda of the planning scientists. It is proposed that sufficient flexibility exists in a schedule to allow high leve...

Rapidly-exploring random trees (RRTs) are data structures and search algorithms designed to be used in continuous path planning problems. They are one of the most successful state-of-the-art techniques in motion planning, as they offer a great degree of flexibility and reliability. However, their use in other fields in which search is a commonly used approach has not been thoroughly analyzed. I...

This paper describes multi-objective evolutionary optimization of process planning in flexible manufacturing systems (FMSs). FMS can be described as an integrated manufacturing system consisting of machines, computers, robots, and automated guided vehicles (AGVs). While FMSs give great advantages through the flexibility, FMSs pose complex problems on multi-objective process planning. An evoluti...

This paper describes multi-objective evolutionary optimization of process planning in flexible manufacturing systems (FMSs). FMS can be described as an integrated manufacturing system consisting of machines, computers, robots, and automated guided vehicles (AGVs). While FMSs give great advantages through the flexibility, FMSs pose complex problems on multi-objective process planning. An evoluti...

Humans choose actions based on both habit and planning. Habitual control is computationally frugal but adapts slowly to novel circumstances, whereas planning is computationally expensive but can adapt swiftly. Current research emphasizes the competition between habits and plans for behavioral control, yet many complex tasks instead favor their integration. We consider a hierarchical architectur...

Improvisational theater, creative role-playing and open-ended scenarios are increasingly being used as ways to emphasize the importance of combining planning with flexibility and evolution to respond to changes in context. These skills and capabilities are extremely valuable in teaching, especially for strengthening communication and interpersonal skills, as well as the capacity for critical th...

"Executive function" is an umbrella term for functions such as planning, working memory, impulse control, inhibition and mental flexibility, as well as for the initiation and monitoring of action. The primacy of executive dysfunction in autism is a topic of much debate, as are recent attempts to examine subtypes of executive function within autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders that are...

Alaska Simulator is an interactive software tool developed at the University of Innsbruck which allows people to explore different approaches to process flexibility by using a familiar metaphor, i.e., travel planning and execution. In addition, Alaska Simulator is used for studying research questions in the context of business process management and other related fields. For this, Alaska Simula...

We provide a theoretical analysis of planning via Petri net unfolding, a novel technique for synthesising parallel plans. Parallel plans are generally valued for their execution flexibility, which manifests as alternative choices for the ordering of operators and potentially faster plan executions. Being a relatively new approach, the flexibility properties of plans synthesised via unfolding, a...