MOAST and USARSim: a combined framework for the development and testing of autonomous systems

Abstract

Urban Search and Rescue Simulation (USARSim) is an open source package that provides a high-resolution, physics based simulation of robotic platforms. The package provides models of several common robotic platforms and sensors as well as sample worlds and a socket interface into a commonly used commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) simulation package. Initially introduced to support the development of search and rescue robots, USARSim has proved to be a tool with a broader scope, from robot education to human robot interfaces, including cooperation, and more. During Robocup 2006, a new competition based on USARSim will be held in the context of the urban search and rescue competitions. The Mobility Open Architecture Simulation and Tools (MOAST) is a framework that builds upon the 4-D Real-time Control Systesm (4D/RCS) architecture to analyze the performance of autonomous vehicles and multiagent systems. MOAST provides controlled environments that allow for the transparent transference of data between a matrix of real and virtual components. This framework is glued together through well-defined interfaces and communications protocols, and detailed specifications on individual subsystem input/output (IO). This allows developers to freely swap components and analyze the effect on the overall system by means of comparison to baseline systems with a limited set of functionality. When taken together, the combined USARSim/MOAST system may be used to provide a comprehensive development and testing environment for complex robotic systems. This paper will provide an overview of each system and describe how the combined system may be used for stand-alone simulated development and test, or hardware-in-the-loop development and testing of autonomous mobile robot systems.