M
OBILE
R
OBOTS
brand new Team AmigoBot with little or no modification. Client-server communication
over a serial communication link remain identical as do support for all robotics
commands.
See
Chapter 5, AmigoSH,
for details.
P
ORTS AND
P
OWER
Your Team AmigoBot has a variety of expansion power and I/O ports for attachment and
close integration of a client PC, sensors, and a variety of accessories—all accessible
through a common application interface to the robot’s server software, AmigoSH.
Features include:
44.2368 MHz Renesas SH2 32-bit RISC microprocessor with 32K RAM and 128K FLASH
2 RS-232 serial and 2 SCI ports configurable from 9.6 to 115.2 kilobaud
1 Array of 8 sonar
Heading correction gyro port
User Control Panel with RESET and MOTORS pushbutton controls; Power, System and
User LEDs, and a piezo buzzer
4-line X 20-character LCD support
Expansion connector with built-in 8-bit r/w bus, analog and digital I/O and more…
C
LIENT
S
OFTWARE
All M
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R
OBOTS
platforms, including AmigoBot, operate as the server in a client-server
environment: Their controllers handle the low-level details of mobile robotics, including
maintaining the platform’s drive speed and heading over uneven terrain, acquiring
sensor readings, such as from the sonar, and managing attached accessories. To
complete the client-server architecture, AmigoBot requires a PC connection: software
running on a computer connected with the robot’s controller via the HOST serial link and
which provides the high-level,
intelligent robot controls,
including obstacle avoidance,
path planning, features
recognition, sonar localization,
navigation, and so on.
An important benefit of
M
OBILE
R
OBOTS
’ client-server
architecture is that different
robot servers can be run using
the same high-level client.
Several clients also may share
responsibility for controlling a
single mobile server, which
permits experimentation in
distributed communication,
planning, and control.
Figure 3. Team AmigoBot requires a PC to run client
software for intelligent robotics command and
control operations.
ARIA and ArNetworking
Advanced Robotics Interface for Applications (ARIA) software, including ArNetworking,
comes with every M
OBILE
R
OBOTS
platform. ARIA is a C++-based open-source
development environment that provides a robust client-side interface to a variety of
intelligent robotics systems, including your robot’s controller and accessory systems.
ArNetworking provides the critical layer for TCP/IP-based communications with your
M
OBILE
R
OBOTS
platform over the network. ARIA is the ideal platform for integration of your
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