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Programming Robots
The document discusses the definition and potential applications of robotics, emphasizing the complexity of programming robots and the challenges developers face in the field. It highlights the growth of the robotics market across various sectors and outlines the technologies and frameworks, such as the Microsoft Robotics Studio, that support robotics development. Key issues for future integration of robots into everyday life include improving human-robot interaction and addressing software challenges to enable personalized and context-aware systems.
Programming Robots
- 1. ERO Technology Group Presented by Programming Robots Andreas Heil v-aheil@microsoft.com Date Programming with Visualisation, 08. November 2006 Concurrency and Coordination
- 3. Definition: Robot Arobot is an electro-mechanical device that can perform autonomous or preprogrammed tasks. A robot may act under the direct control of a human (eg. the Canadarm on the space shuttle) or autonomously under the control of a programmed computer. Wikipedia 1. Mechanical device programmed to perform tasks any machine that can be programmed to carry out instructions and perform particular duties, especially one that can take over tasks normally done by people. 2. Imaginary machine like human a machine that resembles a human in appearance and can function like a human, especially in science fiction 3. Person like a machine somebody who works or behaves mechanically, showing little or no emotion and often responding to orders without question 4. Traffic light South Africa a set of automatic traffic light Encarta Dictionary
- 4. Definition: Robot A robot is a device, hard- or software with the capability of sensing and (re)acting.
- 5. Robotics Market Potential Serviceand consumer markets just emerging • Remote assistance/presence • Assistive Worldw ide Robotics Market Grow th • Facilities maintenance • Security • Education • Entertainment 70000000 Home Mediacal/Welfare More applications are required to improve the 60000000 Public Sector market 50000000 Bio-Industrial Market Size $1,000s Manufacturing 40000000 • A lack of reusability keeps robot developers endlessly re-solving the same 30000000 software problems 20000000 10000000 • Concentrating on the mechanics of 0 robotics rather than the science of robotics 1995 2000 2005 2010 2025 Year • Concurrency and complexity plague all software engineering and especially robotics * Source Japan Robotics Association • Development requires too much effort and knowledge
- 6. Robotics Market Potential Worldw ide Robotics Market Grow th 70000000 Home Mediacal/Welfare 60000000 Public Sector 50000000 Bio-Industrial Market Size $1,000s Manufacturing 40000000 30000000 20000000 10000000 0 1995 2000 2005 2010 2025 Year * Source Japan Robotics Association
- 7. 3 2 1 20 05 Real vacuum cleaner Filtering unnecessary Information Household Devices (Microwave, Fridge) 20 Robot with integrated Communication Capabilities1 07 Robot loading Dishwasher2 20 10 Tourguide3 Development Trend Robot adapting to individual Needs Gaming Robots Learning about new Environments by giving a Tour to it, after that it can re-give that tour. 20 Robot helping handicapped People 15 Increasing Software Challenges Ironing Robot Proactive Robots Robots understanding human Activities 20 20 24h Assistant Companion for elderly People * Source EURON Workshop 2005
- 8. Microsoft & Robotics Experience Groups Systems Microsoft Research • PC Ecosystem (desktop, web, • Enabling Technologies mobile, home) • Human Robot Interaction • XP, XP Embedded, CE (real-time) • Personal Robotics • Educational Robotics Development environment and tools • Programming Environments • Programming IDE Microsoft Robotics Groups • Debugging and Opmization • Microsoft Robotics Group Existing applicable Technologies Redmond • Center for Innovative Robotics • Speech SDK Carnegie Mellon University • Real-time Communications SDK • External Research Office • RFID SDK Cambridge
- 9. New Requirements New Requirements • Ultra Heterogeneity • Distributed environments • Dynamic Configuration • Context-Awareness • Personalization • Extensibility • Reliability • Security • Privacy protection • Usability • Autonomy • … Ubiquitous computing environments should be deployed incrementally • Living space is not a demonstration room • We like to replace existing objects How can software infrastructures help to decrease the complexities?
- 10. Challenges to Address FutureApplications • Support & Care, Education, Entertainment Personal Robotics • Human-robotics Interaction • Mediator between digital/real world • Natural and affective interaction (speech, gestures, emotions) From nature to software models New programming paradigms • Body inspired software architecture (Pisa) • Meta-programming models (Berlin, Stuttgart) What is needed that robots could be successfully integrated in our everyday life? What are key technical issues?
- 11. A typical firstApproach • Build a (another) middleware • Abstract from the underlying hardware (HAL) > i.e. classes for sensors, actuators, and communication • Unique programming model Control Application > Can use every concept the runtime provides Robot API • Use the .NET CLR and API CLR Sensors and Actuators Controller
- 12. This wont alwayswork! Things that work fine on a PC don’t scale down • Thread switches on a smart-phone or PDA are costly • Some hardware controller don’t support threads at all • Hardware not capable enough for a middleware (CPU, memory, battery, …) • Even though PDAs/Smartphones are fairly powerful, CF has some several restrictions (good for some reasons, but not for us) Now think of even smaller devices • Embedded controllers, wrist-watches, sensor networks, smart dust
- 13. VRDK – AResearch Prototype • Building a compelling & engaging programmable environment • Innovative, very easy, flexible programming environment for Robot control applications • Accessible to non technical audience (children, nurse, elderly, machine operator) • Enables a ‘Path’ from very simple (beginner, child) to professional (using Visual Studio) Abstracting complexity on different levels Source Code Visual
- 14. Model-driven Development Approach Platform-independent Model of the Program Same programming model (VRDK Language) for different devices Transformation Transformation Platform-specific .NET .NET CF XYZ realization of the program Generation Generation Executable or interpreter Executable Executable Executable on target platform
- 15. VRDK API Structure Controller (e.g., fischertechnik) Actuators Sensors Analog Sensor Digital Sensor (e.g., Motors) (e.g., Heat Sensor) (e.g., Touch Sensor)
- 16. Full Tool Chain Code Generation VRDK Editor VS.NET Deploy and Run Deploy and Run The gentle Shortcut Target Devices
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- 18. Domain Specific Language Visual N# Users can switch between • Domain-specific both notations graphical language • Extension of VRDK • Easy to design Code Translator N# • Domain-specific textual language • Easy to read and write C# / VB.NET • General purpose programming language • Don’t write code anymore
- 19. N# - ATextual Notation for Visual N# ambient MyAmbient @ Person where filter ($1.Company == „Microsoft Research“), filter($1.Location == „Cambridge"), filter($1.SecurityLevel > 2) { discover Lights @ Light where distance(a), filter($1.Color == „green"); process OnLampAdd @ l = Lights.Added { l.On(); } process OnLampRemove @ l = Lights.Removed { l.Off(); } a = 100; }
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- 21. The Microsoft RoboticsStudio A lightweight concurrency and services oriented runtime • Handling of sensory input and controlling actuators • Based on synchronous message passing • Decentralized System Services (DSS) facilitating tasks and basic services such as debugging, logging, monitoring, security, discovery, and data persistence Authoring/development tools • Visual programming editor • Simulation • Message debugging Technology libraries and basic algorithms • Code samples and documentation
- 22. Open Platform Supported manufacturers • Robotics Connection Applications and tools • Mobile Robots • Coroware • KUKA • LEGO Authoring Tools • fischertechnik • Robosoft Visual Studio Technology libraries Robot models • WhiteBox Robotics Device services • Lynxmotions Runtime Environment (OEM, ISV, IRV) • Phidgets Robotic Application • iRobot Roomba • … Runtime • Community platforms
- 23. Development Model Application model Application Model • Build complex systems from smaller, simpler decentralized services Distribution Distribution model Model • Applications are a collection of distributed services • Discovery of functionality via contract and categories Programming • Self-organizing Model • Interaction via Messaging Programming model • Coordination of messages • No manual creation of threads, locks, semaphores
- 24. Robotics Studio Architecture Orchestration Orchestration Application Decentralized System Services Robotic Services Services Concurrency and Coordination Device Services Library Services Activation Discovery Robot Model Runtime Device 1 Vision Services Diagnostics Storage Vis/Sim Device 2 SLAM … … Terminal UX Messaging Transport Signal Processing SPL Hardware Abstraction Layer HAL
- 25. Layered and DistributedApplication “Learns” and begins to favors specific behavioral characteristics. Interacts with the orchestration layer to achieve the favored patterns. Behavior Control Layer Defines and facilitates communication patterns that coordinate information processing amongst lower level services. Orchestration Layer Provides functionality abstraction, computational encapsulation, failure isolation, distributed and concurrent execution, via software services . Services Layer Executes algorithms that require near real-time computation and deterministic time control. Signal Processing Layer Directly interfaces with the physical robotics hardware - Sensors and Actuators. Hardware Abstraction Layer
- 26. Service Composition • Services aren’t just for devices • Services can be compose to form other services • Services can represent passive or non-existent devices > Fused sensory data can be re-exposed as an independent service Trajectory Drive Pose Motor Encoder Services Steering Servo Robot Model Service Robot Model Wheel Base Geometry
- 27. Runtime Environment An applicationis a composition of loosely-coupled services concurrently executing across scopes • Interactions described using service contacts • Components are networked • Provides isolation between components > Reliability – ability to restart independently, replaceable/updatable > Parallelism y UI un dar Main Port n Bo io icat A ppl Main Port Service Private Port Code State Main Port Service Main Port Code Main Port Private Port State Private Port Service Service Code Service Code State Code State State H/W H/W * Example: Model car + sensors
- 28. Communication & Coordination Port<int> p = new Port<int>(); • Typed Ports p.post(42) ; • Messages sent to ports • Arbiter handle messages > Persistent > Batch > Choice > Join > … Activate ( Arbiter.CreateReceiver(false, p, delegate(int i) { Console.WriteLine(i) ; } ) );
- 29. Runtime Reliability • Reliability > Reservations > Guarantueed CPU bandwith • Number of fixed threads in dispatcher > Set during creation of dispatcher > Not using CLR threadpool > Less overhead • No Priorities for threads > Hard to persuade developer not to use priorities > So, priorities introduced for dispatcher • FIFO Ports > 90,000 SOAP messages/s within a node (=multiple services) > > 3,000 SOAP messages/s among nodes
- 30. Service Development vs.Application Development Runtime Environment Main Port Private Port Decentralized System Service Services Code Concurrency and Coordination State Runtime • Done only once • Driver related • Done by manufacturer • Distribute & reuse
- 31. Authoring Environment Standalone &Visual Studio integrated Scales with programmer skill Visual Studio • Helps beginners with drag/drop programming IDE • Assists advanced developer with service orchestration Robot Package Robot Model Designer Code Generator • Conceptually consistent with conventional programming Tool Box Application Designer Debugging services languages Packages Visualization and • Context based toolbox Service Contract Designer Simulation Support Rapid Application Deployment Designer Code Downloader Development via visual programming, simulation and visualization. Supports programming of distributed scenarios Extensible to support other hardware
- 32. Visual Programming Language Robotsas first class objects Data flow and orchestration • Easy for novices • Rapid prototyping for experts Activity Message link Activity • Implicit parallelism • Generates C# code • Formal checking of protocol interactions • Deadlock detection, state exploration
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- 36. Community: Robot SwarmHeading Target Area
- 37. Community: Robot SwarmSimulation
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- 39. Outlook • VRDK >Research prototype – not developed anymore • Microsoft Robotics Studio > Available as CTP (November CTP, today at 5.00 am) > Improved visualisation > Package based deployment > Wrap up for final version > CCR / DSS maybe available as separate DL > http://msdn.microsoft.com/robotics/ • N# > Ongoing research > Publications etc. > Visual Studio integration in progress
- 40. Thank you oryour attention.
Editor's Notes
- #9 Anm.: Macht es Sinn zu sagen, was wo “geforscht wird”? Also, was werden WIR in MSRC in Zukunft machen
- #12 A first and intuitive approach is building “just another middleware”. I.e. you abstract from the underlying middleware. You create classed of sensors and actuators and of course you try to find an way to abstract the communication. The technology is available and so we can fall back on the .Net CLR and APIs. Sounds like a reasonable approach – on the face of it.
- #13 But - this wont always work. Whatever you are used that works fine on a PC doesn’t scale down to other plattforms If we think about threading on PDA where thread swithes are very expensive. Some hardware controllers such as fischertechnik, Lego or even home automation systems do not support threads at all. So we need an alternative solution to map the functionality to these devices. Lets go back to our new invented middleware: what happens if the hardware is not capable of supporting a middleware? Think about the CPU, memory or the battery – btw: power and power consumption is one of the most important issues we have deal with. The Compact Framework running on Smartphones and PDAs, which is only a small part of the .Net Framework available on the PC. We do not have any Serialisation, no Remoting. Finally think about really tiny devices, sensor networks, embedded controllers and so on – a middle ware would be a maximum overkill for such small devices.
- #14 The Visual Robotik Development Kit is a first approach in building an unique visual programming environment. By abstracting from underlying source code, the VRDK enables non technical audience or groups of persons nor familiar with this certain domain of technology to access and program its functionality. Thereby the VRDK allows abstracting on different levels. Abstract models can be used as well as a in-depth look into source code is provided corresponding to the audience, from beginners up to experts.
- #15 TBD
- #18 TBD
- #19 TBD
- #20 TBD
- #21 TBD
- #22 Improved CCR and DSS Runtime We’ve made some significant improvements that has doubled message throughput within node (between services) and between nodes. XML footprint has been reduced by half. Peak message throughput on multiprocessor machines is now close to 90,000 SOAP messages per second, between services on the same node, and 2,500 messages between nodes (using TCP or HTTP, full serialization). A scalable, extensible runtime architecture that can span a wide variety of hardware and devices. The programming interface can be used to address robots using 8-bit or 16-bit processors as well as 32-bit systems with multi-core processors and devices from simple touch sensors to laser distance finding devices. A set of useful tools that make programming and debugging robot applications scenarios easier. These include a high quality visual simulation environment that uses for software physics supplied by the Ageia Technologies PhysX engine. A set of useful technology libraries services samples to help developers get started with writing robot applications.
- #25 HAL -> manufacturer Orchestration -> User, Application Development
- #26 Lower Levels -> Manufacturer
- #27 Paint Circles