A message passing approach to robot programming

Abstract We are developing a communication oriented interactive environment for robot programming. A set of independent software modules for robot motoring control, low level sensoring processing, kinematics simulation and world model construction has been implemented as separate tools. They have been merged in a software environment whose implementation is based on the operating system Accent and can be accessed through an advanced graphics workstation. Each module interacts with the others through message exchange; each module may be organized into new submodules as new operational behaviours belonging to its functional area become necessary.