GenoM3: Building middleware-independent robotic components

The topic of reusable software in robotics is now largely addressed. Components based architectures, where components are independent units that can be reused accross applications, have become more popular. As a consequence, a long list of middlewares and integration tools is available in the community, often in the form of open-source projects. However, these projects are generally self contained with little reuse between them. This paper presents a software engineering approach that intends to grant middleware independance to robotic software components so that a clear separation of concerns is achieved between highly reusable algorithmic parts and integration frameworks. Such a decoupling let middlewares be used interchangeably, while fully benefitting from their specific, individual features. This work has been integrated into a new version of the open-source Gen oM component generator tool: Gen oM3.

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2010
• Where: ICRA
• Authors: Anthony Mallet, Cédric Pasteur, Matthieu Herrb, Severin Lemaignan, François Felix Ingrand
• Keywords: Components Based Architectures, ICRA 2010, Open-source Gen OM, Reusable Algorithmic Parts, Robotics