Run-Time Integration of Robotic Manipulators and Their Controllers

This paper describes an information model and interface by which a general purpose robotic manipulator can publish its kinematic- and dynamic parameters to enable real-time trajectory control. The motivation for the work was the control of various robotic manipulators in USARSim, an urban search and rescue simulation environment, wherein manipulators are dynamically introduced. The objective was to avoid a static description, such as a configuration file, in favor of real-time communication channels. Although the interface originated with simulations, it has been applied to real robotic manipulators, including serial- and parallel kinematics. The interface is being used as the basis for robot competitions in the RoboCup Rescue Simulation league, which provides a plug-and-play software environment for robots and the competing controllers.