A middle way for robotics middleware

Robotics is changing. The amount of software available (and needed) is growing. For better or worse, the glue that holds thatsoftware together, the middleware, has a big impact on its viability. YARP is a middleware for robotics, with over a decade’s continuoususe on various humanoid robots. YARP was designed to help code survive changes, to easily experiment with new code and integratewith other systems. In a world of constant transition, with a steady stream of hardware and software upgrades, YARP helps code lastlong enough to make a real impact, and avoid premature loss of good code through middleware muddles. We review the features ofYARP that support this flexibility, describing those situations in which they have been practically useful.