Causing a robot to execute a mission using a behavior tree and a leaf node library

A method of causing one or more robots to execute a mission, the method comprising:

• identifying the mission including tasks that are executable to cause the one or more robots to execute respective maneuvers;
• determining a behavior tree in which the mission is modeled, the behavior tree expressed as a directed tree of nodes including a switch node, a trigger node representing a selected task, and action nodes representing others of the tasks, the switch node connected to the trigger node and the action nodes in a parent-child relationship in which the trigger node and the action nodes are children of the switch node, the trigger node being a first of the children that, when ticked by the switch node, returns an identifier of one of the action nodes to trigger the switch node to next tick the one of the action nodes;
• and
• causing the one or more robots to execute the mission using the behavior tree and a leaf node library including the tasks executable to cause the one or more robots to execute the respective maneuvers.

A computer-readable storage medium for causing one or more robots to execute a mission, the computer-readable storage medium being non-transitory and having computer-readable program code stored therein that, in response to execution by processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to at least:

• a memory having computer-readable program code stored therein;
• and
• processing circuitry configured to access the memory, and execute the computer-readable program code to cause the apparatus to at least:
• identify the mission including tasks that are executable to cause the one or more robots to execute respective maneuvers;
• determine a behavior tree in which the mission is modeled, the behavior tree expressed as a directed tree of nodes including a switch node, a trigger node representing a selected task, and action nodes representing others of the tasks, the switch node connected to the trigger node and the action nodes in a parent-child relationship in which the trigger node and the action nodes are children of the switch node, the trigger node being a first of the children that, when ticked by the switch node, returns an identifier of one of the action nodes to trigger the switch node to next tick the one of the action nodes;
• and
• cause the one or more robots to execute the mission using the behavior tree and a leaf node library including the tasks executable to cause the one or more robots to execute the respective maneuvers.