An Implementation of a Non-monotonic Logic in an Embedded Computer for a
  Motor-glider
  In this article we present an implementation of non-monotonic reasoning in an
embedded system. As a part of an autonomous motor-glider, it simulates piloting
decisions of an airplane. A real pilot must take care not only about the
information arising from the cockpit (airspeed, altitude, variometer,
compass...) but also from outside the cabin. Throughout a flight, a pilot is
constantly in communication with the control tower to follow orders, because
there is an airspace regulation to respect. In addition, if the control tower
sends orders while the pilot has an emergency, he may have to violate these
orders and airspace regulations to solve his problem (e.g. emergency landing).
On the other hand, climate changes constantly (wind, snow, hail..) and can
affect the sensors. All these cases easily lead to contradictions. Switching to
reasoning under uncertainty, a pilot must make decisions to carry out a flight.
The objective of this implementation is to validate a non-monotonic model which
allows to solve the question of incomplete and contradictory information. We
formalize the problem using default logic, a non-monotonic logic which allows
to find fixed-points in the face of contradictions. For the implementation, the
Prolog language is used in an embedded computer running at 1 GHz single core
with 512 Mb of RAM and 0.8 watts of energy consumption.
