engineering

Middleware for Robotic Applications

Middleware for Robotic Applications is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Middleware for Robotic Applications rather than just read about it. In short: Middleware for Robotic Applications (MIRA) is a cross-platform, open-source software framework written in C++ that provides a middleware, several base functionalities and numerous tools for developing and testing distributed software modules. It also focuses on easy creation of complex, dynamic applications, while reusing these modules as plugins.

Key takeaways

Middleware for Robotic Applications belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Middleware for Robotic Applications to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Middleware for Robotic Applications from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Middleware for Robotic Applications (MIRA) is a cross-platform, open-source software framework written in C++ that provides a middleware, several base functionalities and numerous tools for developing and testing distributed software modules. It also focuses on easy creation of complex, dynamic applications, while reusing these modules as plugins. The main purpose of MIRA is the development of robotic applications, but as it is designed to allow type safe data exchange between software modules using intra- and interprocess communication it is not limited to these kinds of applications. MIRA is developed in a cooperation of the MetraLabs GmbH and the Ilmenau University of Technology/Neuroinformatics and Cognitive Robotics Lab. Therefore, MIRA was designed to fulfill the requirements of both commercial and educational purposes.

Features General:

adds introspection/reflection and serialization to C++ with the usage of C++ language-constructs only (a meta-language or metacompilers are not necessary) efficient data exchange between software modules the used communication technique based on "channels" always allows non-blocking access to the transferred data for the user the communication is fully transparent no matter if the software modules are located within the same process, different processes or on different machines, the underlying transport layer will choose the fasted method for data transportation automatically beside data exchange via "channels", MIRA supports Remote Procedure Calls (RPC) and Remote Method Invokation. MIRA is fully decentralized, hence there is no central server or central communication hub, making its communication more robust and allows its usage in multi-robot applications

Robotic application specific:

easy configuration of software modules via configuration files parameters of algorithms can be modified live at runtime to speed up the debugging and development process huge amounts of robot sensor data can be recorded in Tapes for later playback, here different codecs can be used to compress the data

Platforms MIRA supports and was successfully tested on the following platforms:

Linux – Ubuntu and derivates, OpenSuse, CentOS, Red Hat and Fedora Windows – Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 (32bit and 64bit)

Applications using MIRA MIRA is used within the following applications:

Konrad and Suse - Guide Robots, that guide visitors within the Zuse-Building of the Ilmenau University of Technology Monitoring the air quality within clean rooms at Infineon Technologies using several SCITOS G5 robots and projects:

CompanionAble - Integrated Cognitive Assistive & Domotic Companion Robotic System for Ability & Security Robot-Era - Implementation and integration of advanced robotic systems and intelligent environments in real scenarios for the ageing population

Usability

Reflection/serialization

arbitrary complex data types can be serialized by adding a simple reflect method to the class as shown above after these minor changes, the objects of the class can be transported via inter-process communication, can be used as parameters in configuration files for software modules, can be recorded in "Tape" files, etc.

Remote procedure calls

arbitrary methods can be turned into RPC methods by adding one line of code within the reflect() method. There is no need to write wrappers around the methods or to use meta description languages.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Middleware for Robotic Applications

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Middleware for Robotic Applications claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Middleware for Robotic Applications before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Middleware for Robotic Applications ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Middleware for Robotic Applications

In research: Middleware for Robotic Applications appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Middleware for Robotic Applications in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Middleware for Robotic Applications is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2012 in robotics, 2012 software, Robotics software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Middleware for Robotic Applications outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Middleware for Robotic Applications in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Middleware for Robotic Applications means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Middleware for Robotic Applications out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Middleware for Robotic Applications in simple terms?

Why does Middleware for Robotic Applications matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Middleware for Robotic Applications?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Middleware for Robotic Applications.