An Event-Based Robotic Sensors and Actuators Collection API from A

Computer Science Perspective – An implementation in Mindstorms

NXT Brick Li-Ren Chien and Daniel J. Buehrer

Reporter : Ph.D. (ABD) Li-Ren ChienDepartment of Computer Science and Information

Engineering, National Chung Cheng University

INTRODUCTION

• Robin R. Muephy, “Introduction to AI Robotics,” (The MIT Press, 2000)Users can be easy to combine programming,

networks, operating systems, algorithms … everything about CS into a robotic system

• We introduce an event-based robotic sensors and actuators collection API from a computer science perspective

What’s it?

• It’s a java API• event-based IOs collection• over an IP network• Be expressed with a self mode• functions of kinematics by Alonzo Kelly’s

report (Alonzo Kelly, “Essential Kinematics for Autonomous Vehicles, 1994)

• An educational application layer with TDDclassification by power set of three variables value

consisting of IOs, bricks and hosts

HBS framework• Historically, most robotics API has been written

from the mechanical engineering perspective that was focus on developing robotic itself.

• We present a HBS framework that is based on computer science, information engineering and education perspective.

• It consists of – networking, – communication, – knowledge representation – educational theory… etc

HBS framework (Cont.)• The framework of an educational robotic

should comprise host (H), brick (B) and sensor/actuator (S)– Host A host involves a device with a dependent high level

CPU at least and running under an operation system that supports IP network and wireless protocols such as IR, Bluetooth and WiMAX. The API is planning to persist in a host. Under this specification, a host could be a PC, a notebook, a PDA or an OLPC of MIT Media Lab.

HBS framework (Cont.)– BrickA brick is light micro-processor system with wireless

supports. A brick can be controlled by hosts and controls sensors and actuators. • For example, the underlayer of LEGO mindstroms NXT

embedded system firmware with the Bluetooth hardware and driver communicates with a PC by NXT communication protocol.

– Sensor and actuator The sensor as an input component whiles the actuator

as an output of a logical robotic system similarly in a computer system aspect. The sensor and actuator is communicate and controlled by a brick directly.

HBS framework (Cont.)

IP network

SensorsSensors

SensorsSensors

Brick

ActuatorsActuatorsActuators

HOST

SensorsSensors

SensorsSensors

Brick

ActuatorsActuatorsActuators

Bluetooth

SensorsSensors

SensorsSensors

Brick

ActuatorsActuatorsActuators

HOST

SensorsSensors

SensorsSensors

Brick

ActuatorsActuatorsActuators

Bluetooth

Figure 1. Framework of hosts, bricks and sensor and actuators

Event based collection

f(h1,b1,s1)

S

H

B

f(h2,b2,s2)

Collection of values of 3 variablesHost1, Brick 1, Sensor/Actuator 1

Logic expression filter

Event notification

HOSTLogic expression filter

Event notification

Value change

Figure 2. The event notification flow

Applying HBS on Education

• Power set of {H,B,S}– {H}, {B}, {S}, {H,B}, {B,S}, {H,S}, {H,B,S}

• David J. “An International View of Robotics”, (International Conference on Engineering Education, U.K, August 2002)– Seventeen fields for four grous(Jr, Hi, Stud, Eng)

via two types of training (Progress in theory, Progress in practice)

Conclusion• In this paper, we designed an educational

oriented event-based sensor and actuators collection API via three variables (S, B, H).

• We can take such a framework as a base to adapt a robotic system to discussion in education.

• At the same time, an event based collection API on HBS with semantic content self-model is facile for a distributed cooperative robotic system.

• The API works with the Lego Mindstorms NTX as an application extension of the computer programming language course in Hsing Kuo Senior High School in Taiwan