Domain-Specific Language Modularization Scheme Applied to a Multi-Arm Robotics Use-Case

The development of robotics systems requires a coherent design, implementation, and integration of multiple domainspecific software artifacts that provide the application-specific capabilities. Model-driven software development (MDSD) provides an efficient methodology that enables the design, integration, and verification of robotics applications already at the level of multiple domain-specific models. While the application of MDSD for the engineering of robotics systems is conceptually promising, the interoperability, composability, and reusability of developed domain-specific languages and resulting models are challenging. In this article, we discuss the requirements for language modularization and composition from a robotics perspective and introduce a language composition approach for component-based robotics systems. We use a state-of-the-art language workbench, which supports reuse, extensibility, and refinement of domain-specific languages and code generators. We present and discuss a case study to evaluate the proposed extension and composition approach from a language developer’s perspective as well as from a language user’s perspective, i.e. the perspective of the roboticist supported by our set of domain-specific languages.