An xml-based scripting language for chain-type modular robotic systems

Abstract

Abstract. A number of modular robotic systems have been developed over the last decade. Such systems promise increased flexibility and robustness and lower cost over conventional robots; however programming systems with many degrees of freedom is still more an art than engineering. The complexity of programming limits the usage of such systems and the sharing of knowledge within the modular robotics community. We have previously published work on using “Phase Automata ” as a programming model for chain-type modular robotic systems. In this paper, we present an XML-based scripting language for describing phase automata and complex behavior compositions. There have been a growing number of research labs working on modular reconfigurable robots [4, 9, 11, 15, 17] in the last decade. The general philosophy underlying these systems is to simplify the design and construction of components, while enhancing functionality and versatility through larger numbers of modules. These systems claim to have many desirable properties including versatility, robustness and low cost [20]. In general, there are two types of modular reconfigurable robots: chain-type and lattice-type [17]. Robots that use chain reconfiguration form serial chains (like standard robot arms) and connect and reconnect many of these chains