RoboTalk: a general robot control framework
Can we access R2D2 & C3PO with the same control commands?
Allen Yang Yang
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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H. Gonzales-Banos, V. Ng-Thow-Hing, J. E. Davis
Honda Research Institute, Mountain View, CA
Motivation
Copyright
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Mobile Robot with
Pan-Tilt Camera
Honda Asimo
Humanoid Robot
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Why do we need a motion specification?

Difficulties for researchers in robotics:
 Industrial copyright
 Programs are not re-usable in
different robot families, even
different versions of same robot
families
Motion Commands
 Have to choose OS based on the
drivers provided
 Not easy to share a robot remotely
Windows? Linux? Mac OS?
with other collaborators in different
Embedded OS?
locations
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QuickTime™ and a
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Project goals
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Whatever: (cross-model)
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Whoever: (cross-platform)
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Provide a network-enabled interface for Asimo which is
independent of the controller libraries
Access to other robots & simulators: Pioneer, Puma
User interface must be cross-platform: support Unix, Linux, Mac
OS X and Windows.
Wherever: (cross-network)

Good quality of service across the Internet.
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Demo Videos
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Contributions
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A robot specification standard
One command interface
Four command modes between client and server:
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Direct
Delay
Playback
Broadcast
Easy-to-change robot driver implementation on the
server-end
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Previous Work
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Player [R. Gerkey and A. Howard, 2003]
Open Architecture Humanoid Robotics Platform (HRP)
[F. Kanehiro, et al., 2004]

Open Pino Project [F. Yamasaki, et al., 2000]
OROCOS [http://www.orocos.org/]
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Dedicated systems
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ARIA [robots.activmedia.com/ARIA/]
Robonaut [H. Aldridge, et al., 2000]
Athena [J. Biesiadecki, et al., 2001]
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Why not others?
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Do not support humanoid robots
Hard to change driver implementation
Do not have network quality support
Do not have protection mechanism for
exotic robots
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System Architecture
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System Overview
Client/Server Structure
Four Communication Modes
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Architecture - Specification Standard
Abstraction
Configuration Spec
Command Spec
Communication Spec
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Architecture - System Overview
Asimo
Library
Configuration Spec
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Command Spec
Client
Communication Spec
..
.
Client
Pioneer
Library
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Server
Client/Server
Simulator
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Architecture - Robotalk Server
Server Daemon
Read and
Write
TCP/IP
sockets
CClientConnection
.
.
.
Provide:
Buffering,
Scheduling,
Panic, etc.
CClientConnection
Class
Interface
Issue Robot
Driver Calls
Robot Daemon
CRobotDriver
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Architecture - CClientConnection
Server Daemon
Input
commands
CClientConnection
Command Queue
Read
Playback Queue
Robot
Daemon
Feedback
Write
Return Queue
Priority Queues
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Architecture - CClient
Function
calls
CClient Class
Commands to the server.
(Blocking/Nonblocking)
Class
Interface
Broadcast
cache
Return cache
Feedback
Read Daemon
(Nonblocking)
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Architecture - Communication Modes
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Direct mode:
blocking & instantaneous, for debug purposes
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Delay mode:
nonblocking, instantaneous or delay
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Playback mode:
nonblocking, adaptive caching based on channel quality
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Broadcast mode:
periodic query feedback
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Direct Mode
Client
Server
Sync system clock
Clock
Function call
Command Cache
Client
return
Cache
Robot
Daemon
Return Cache
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Delay Mode
Client
Server
Sync system clock
Clock + Delay
Function call
Command Cache
return
Client
Robot
Daemon
error signal
Cache
Return Cache
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Playback Mode
Length of the sequence
Client
Clock
Function call
return
Command Cache
Server
Delay
Playback Cache
Client
Robot
Daemon
error signal
Cache
Return Cache
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Broadcast Mode
Delay
Broadcast
call
return
Command Cache
Client
Cache
data
Robot
Daemon
Return Cache
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Conclusions
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Motivations
System Structure
Four Network Command Modes
Future Extensions
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Exclusive control
Data channels
Controlling multiple humanoid robots
Virtual humanoid robots
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Virtual Humanoid
Pioneer
Library
Site A
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Server
Camera
Library
Puma
Library
Site B
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are needed t o s ee thi s pi c ture.
Virtual Humanoid
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Thank you!
Allen Yang: yangyang@uiuc.edu
Hector Gonzales-Banos: hhg@honda-ri.com
Victor Ng-Thow-Hing: vng@honda-ri.com
All videos available online: perception.csl.uiuc.edu/RoboTalk/
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