Graphical Programming and the Development of Construction Robots

Abstract

Complexity, multidisciplinarity, and algorithmic inherency are characteristics of construction robotic systems. Controlling the development process of such systems requires the adoption of a development model based on Systems Engineering principles. The softwaredevelopment process is an important aspect of the system, which requires a development environment that can cope with this complexity. Using traditional programming languages (textual) requires highly trained programmers for this purpose, which involves high cost and long development time. In the present work Graphical Programming (iconic) is used as the software development environment because it is highly modular and allows concurrent development, both of which save on time and cost. It also enables nonexpert programmers to produce software capable of coping with the system complexity. A detailed case study of the software development process for an existing tool manipulation robot known as Starlifter is presented. Use of the LabVIEW package is demonstrated for both onboard system control and off-line project management.

Development of a Multi-Arm Mobile Robot for Nuclear Decommissioning Tasks

“…The adoption of a systematic approach in the development of any system requires the use of an appropriate development model, which takes into consideration the unique nature of the particular tasks. The many modules of a robotic system for decommissioning make it a multidisciplinary system in which the selection of a development model based on only one module is not appropriate (Zied, K. 2004).…”

“…Already developed components can be modified or integrated with the system according to the requirements of the architectural and the detailed designs. When this process is complete, the development process returns to the normal steps for integration and verification up to the final operation step (Zied, K. 2004).…”

“…All the components involved in this module are software based and the design of this module requires the existence of the other modules, which are involved in the system operation. Graphical programming can help in rapid development of the required software components for the system as explained by (Zied 2004).…”

“…The Multi-Arm Mobile Robot System was developed following the refined design and system development process for nuclear decommissioning application, as discussed and illustrated in Section 2. This development process has already been applied to the development of Starlifter construction robot (Zied, K. 2004). It can also be adapted and applied to other research fields including space robot applications and subsea.…”

An Augmented Framework for Practical Development of Construction Robots

“…The adoption of a systematic approach in the development of any system requires the use of an appropriate development model, which takes into consideration the unique nature of the particular construction tasks. The many modules of a robotic system for decommissioning make it a multidisciplinary system in which the selection of a development model based on only one module is not appropriate, Zied, 2004.…”