Implementation of complex robot subsystems on distributed computing resources

An approach to the coordination of a complex robot’s subsystems has been developed and implemented. In this approach, the computational load is distributed functionally over several microprocessor systems in both tightly and loosely coupled configurations. Tightly coupled functions communicate through shared memory on the same high speed parallel bus. Loosely coupled functions communicate through a local area network. However, whether tightly or loosely coupled, communications between functional modules appear as if a single blackboard memory is shared. This approach to robot integration has been used to explore various concepts for sensor data fusion. An autonomous mobile robot has provided the experimental environment in which experience with this approach has been gained. The concepts fundamental to this approach have also been extended to coordinate multiple interacting robots.