Toward Qualitative Mechanical Problem-Solving using Hybrid AI

Qualitative mechanical problem-solving (QMPS) is central to human-level intelligence. Humans use their capacity for such problem-solving for tasks as routine as hanging a picture frame on a wall, as well as for more sophisticated tasks in demanding jobs that pay well in today’s economy (e.g. in emergency medicine, plumbing, and the use of hydraulic machinery). Unfortunately, AIs and robots of today lack the capacity in question. This work takes a step towards addressing this deficiency using hybrid AI techniques that include advanced automated reasoning and natural language processing (NLP).