Intelligent operating systems for autonomous robots: Real-time capabilities on a hypercube super-computer

Abstract

Autonomous robots which must perform time-critical tasks in hostile environments require computers which can perform many asynchronous tasks at extremely high speeds. Certain hypercube multiprocessors have many of the required attributes, but their operating systems must be provided with special functions to improve the capability of the system to respond rapidly to unpredictable events. A ''virtual-time'' shell, under design for addition to the Vertex operating system of the NCUBE hypercube computer, and having such capabilities, is described.