Autonomous vehicle/robot control

A method of controlling an autonomous vehicle or robot comprising:

• providing a plurality of high level controllers;
• providing a low level controller;
• providing a decision system,
• making one of the high level controllers active;
• the active high level controller providing high level movement commands independently of the other high level controllers to the low level controller;
• the low level controller receiving the high level movement commands of the active high level controller and converting said received high level movement commands into electrical outputs to a plurality of electrical motors/actuators for driving the vehicle/robot;
• the decision system deciding, independently of the high level controllers, to change the active high level controllers.

A control system for an autonomous vehicle or robot comprising:

• a plurality of high level controllers, wherein each high level controller is able to provide high level movement commands to a low level controller;
• the low level controller arranged to receive the high level movement commands of one of the high level controllers and to convert said received high level movement commands into electrical outputs to a plurality of electrical motors/actuators for driving the vehicle/robot;
• a plurality of sensors for receiving data about the vehicle/robot and/or its environment;
• a network connecting elements comprising the high level controllers, the low level controller and the sensors;
• wherein the elements are independently addressable so as to have separate responsibility for being a source and/or a destination of data conveyed by the network.