Internet-Based Service Robotic System Using CORBA as Communication Architecture

摘要

We used CORBA as communication architecture to implement networking connections between a client and the developed hand-eye robotic system. CORBA uses an Object Request Broker (ORB) as the middleware that establishes client/server relationships between objects. The client can invoke a method on a server object across a network transparently without knowing where the application servers are located, or what programming language and operating system are used. This lets system overcome the shortcomings of the other Internet robotic systems. In addition, the components of the CORBA-based system can be implemented and run independently to implement the application, and also be integrated easily into new systems. This facilitates networkdistributed software sharing and improves the cost of writing and maintaining software. The other components of the system can work normally even if there are some problems with some of them. So, using CORBA to implement Internet robotic system is very effective, flexible and robust. Using CORBA as communication architecture, we also developed a hardware base including a robot arm, omnidirectional mobile robot system and CORBA application servers including a robot arm control server, live feedback image server, mobile robot control server and iGPS server. By user controlling a mobile robot to cooperate with a robot arm using Web-based user interface, the developed system can provide some basic services to support the aged or disabled. Network monitoring system based on RTM using QuickCam Orbit cameras was developed to transmit media streams in real time to improve interaction in network distributed humanassistance robotic system. It can enable remote users to get a better understanding of the state of the robots working and the state of the aged or disabled. Some experiments that the remote user accesses the developed system to provide a service task to support the aged and the elderly people have been done. And experimental results verified the effectiveness of the developed system. For future work, improvements of the navigation of mobile robot and recognition of the obstacles using RFID technology and stereo camera are a main topic. In addition, we will develop the other additional function of the system as RT component in order to improve the flexibility of the system.