Thursday, 22 June 2006

Microsoft Sees Future In Robots

Microsoft showcased the community technology preview (CTP) of a new Windows-based environment to create robotic applications for a wide variety of computing platforms, at the RoboBusiness Conference and Exposition 2006 in Pittsburgh. The new environment Microsoft expects will provide thrust for academic, hobbyist and commercial...

Microsoft showcased the community technology preview (CTP) of a new Windows-based environment to create robotic applications for a wide variety of computing platforms, at the RoboBusiness Conference and Exposition 2006 in Pittsburgh. The new environment Microsoft expects will provide thrust for academic, hobbyist and commercial developers to create robotic applications for a wide variety of computing platforms. As a preview this represents an early release not yet intended for commercial use, however, it should enable you to try out and see what Microsoft is working on.

Key features of the Microsoft Robotics Studio environment include:

• Microsoft Robotics Studio includes a visual programming tool to create and debug robot applications. Robotics Studio enables developers to generate modular services for hardware and software, allowing users to interact with robots through Web-based or Windows-based interfaces. Developers can also simulate robotic applications using realistic 3D models; Microsoft has licensed the PhysX engine from AGEIA, a pioneer in hardware-accelerated physics, enabling real-world physics simulations with robot models. The PhysX simulations can also be accelerated using AGEIA hardware.
  
• Microsoft Robotics Studio provides a lightweight services-oriented runtime. Using a .NET-based concurrency library, it makes asynchronous application development simple. The services, message-based architecture makes it simple to access the state of a robot’s sensors and actuators with a web browser
  
• Microsoft Robotics Studio programming model can be applied for a variety of robot hardware platforms. Third-parties can also extend the functionality of the platform by providing additional libraries and services. Both remote (PC-based) and robot-based (autonomous) execution scenarios can be developed using a selection of programming languages, including those included in Microsoft Visual Studio and Microsoft Visual Studio Express languages (C# and VB.NET), as well as Jscript and Microsoft Iron Python as well as third-party languages that conform to its services-based architecture.

1. A scalable, extensible runtime architecture that can span a wide variety of hardware and devices. The programming interface can be used to address robots using 8-bit or 16-bit processors as well as 32-bit systems with multi-core processors and devices from simple touch sensors to laser distance finding devices.
   
2. A set of useful tools that make programming and debugging robot applications scenarios easier. These include a high quality visual simulation environment that uses for software physics supplied by the Ageia Technologies PhysX engine.
   
3. A set of useful technology libraries services samples to help developers get started with writing robot applications.

• Coroware: Coroware, an Innova Holdings company, showed its Surveyor robot that can be remotely operated or programmed to run semi-autonomously for surveillance applications.
  
• Kuka: KUKA Roboter showed a lightweight robot prototype controlled via a remote joystick service, using Microsoft Robotics Studio-based services.
  
• Robosoft: Robosoft showed its six-wheeled RoboROC6 robot capable of autonomous navigation across difficult terrain, which highlighted how a distributed architecture could be easily controlled via the Microsoft Robotics Studio runtime.
  
• Robotics Connection: Robotics Connection featured a tracked Windows XP-based robot utilizing one of their Serializer .NET Robot Controller boards, using Robotics Studio-based services.
  
• WhiteBox Robotics: WhiteBox Robotics showed a telepresence scenario featuring its 914 PC-BOT. The 914 was controlled via a Robotics Studio driven Web-based interface, accessible remotely over a network.