Pancakes: A Software Framework for Distributed Robot and Sensor Network Applications

The development of control applications for multi-agent robot and sensor networks is complicated by the heterogeneous nature of the systems involved, as well as their physical capabilities (or limitations).We propose a software framework that unifies these networked systems, thus facilitating the development of multiagent control across multiple platforms and application domains. This framework addresses the need for these systems to dynamically adjust their actuating, sensing, and networking capabilities based on physical constraints, such as power levels. Furthermore, it allows for sensing and control algorithms to migrate to different platforms, which gives multi-agent control application designers the ability to adjust sensing and control as the network evolves. This paper describes the design and implementation of our software system and demonstrates its successful application on robots and sensor nodes, which dynamically modify their operational components.