The Module Pool: Building Blocks For Networked Robotics

In previous research in the area of modular robotics we assume that the identity of the modules involved in a modular robot system are known a priori. This is restrictive, however, since the set of modules available to create these systems may change over time, with new modules being added, and others being withdrawn. In networked robotics we focus on a more abstract description of the robotics system, emphasizing task requirements rather than precise module identities. We introduce the concept of task modules. Task modules combine with primitive modules, and other task modules, to deliver higher-level functionality, and hence enable networked robotic agents to be instantiated. Such agents may span multiple fixed and mobile robots, and even embedded sensors and control in the wider environment. In this paper we develop the concept of the module pool, effectively a distributed palette of modules available, at runtime, for the creation of network robotic agents. We describe experimental results that demonstrate the validity of the approach, and we present a dual-robot payload transportation task to illustrate the application of the concept to multi-robot systems.