Microsoft Robotics Studio

Kinnar Shah
Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist
Microsoft Student Partner
Introduction to Robotics
 What is a Robot?
• To qualify as a robot, a machine must be able
to
– Sensing and perception: get information from its
surroundings
– Carry out different tasks: Locomotion or
manipulation, do something physical–such as
move or manipulate objects
– Re-programmable: can do different things
– Function autonomously and/or interact with
human beings
 Types of Robots
• Classification by motions
– Fixed
– Moveable
• Classification by mechanical structure
– Cartesian
– Cylindrical
– Spherical
– Parallel
– Articulated
– SCARA
• Autonomous or Semi-autonomous
• Servicing humans or machines
 Why Robots?
• Application in 4D environments
– Dangerous
– Dirty
– Dull
– Difficult
• 4A tasks
– Automation
– Augmentation
– Assistance
– Autonomous
 Architecture of Robotic System
• Perceive – Sensors (Touch, Light, Ultrasonic, etc)
• Make Decisions – Orchestrate (Computation)
• Take Action – Actuators
• Interact – User Interface and Communication
• Power Unit

Motor Bumper
(Sensor)

Message Box Infrared Detector

Orchestrator
(Actuator) (Sensor)

Bumper
Motor (Sensor)
 Basic Requirements
• Sensors (IR, Ultrasonic, Pressure, Touch, Light)
– CD drives, Old remote control, printers
• Controller
– Microprocessor, A/D and D/A converter, Mux/Demux
• Motors
– Stepper Motors (Servos), Geared Motor
– Old printers, 5 ¼ Floppy drives, CD drives
• Wheels
– Toys
• Power System
– Rechargeable Batteries or AC-DC converter, Voltage Regulator
• Base
– Wood, Aluminum, Plastic or Acrylic
 Controlling Robots

Connected operation
(remote execution on PC)

Disconnected
autonomous operation
(with optional networked monitoring)

Distributed execution
(execution across compute units)
Programming your Robot
 Robotics Application Development
• Challenges
– Too much complexity/too many resources required
– Limited tools and technologies
– Difficulties in sharing
– Development when access to robot is limited
– Difficult to build distributed applications that span across
multiple compute units
• Requirements
– Deal with inputs from multiple sensors concurrently
– Coordinating asynchronous device input
– Monitoring/Interacting with running system
– Re-use of components across hardware platforms and
devices (Scalability and Extensibility)
 Microsoft Robotics Studio
Microsoft Robotics Studio

Runtime Authoring Tools Services and Samples

 Concurrency  Simulation Tool  Samples and tutorials
 Services infrastructure  Visual Programming  Robot services
Language  Robot models
 Technology services

• A new application development platform for the robotics

community, designed to address some of the common
challenges facing those developing robot applications
– Authoring
– Concurrency and distribution
– Code reuse and reliability
– Scalability and Extensibility
 Microsoft Robotics Studio
Key runtime features

• Concurrency and coordination runtime

– Makes writing and managing asynchronous processes
easy
– Avoids need to understand manual threading,
semaphores, etc.
• Decentralized system services
– Makes state observable, easily accessible
– Provides for reusability and failure tolerance
– Supports remote/distributed execution
– Makes the programming model scalable
 Microsoft Robotics Studio
Services – the basic building block

• Can have “partners”

• Provide aggregated,
compositional functionality
– Sensor fusion Port
– Motor drive FIFO
• Inherently distributed Service
and asynchronous Handlers

State
 Microsoft Robotics Studio
Interaction through the browser

UI service Joystick service Robot

Motor
services
Sensor
services

Robotics Studio
Runtime

• Service state observable at all

levels of the application
• Services are capable of providing
rich representation of data
 Microsoft Robotics Studio
Authoring tools

• Web browser based programming/control

– Scripting (e.g., JScript)
– Windows Gadgets
• Supported by multiple
programming languages
– Microsoft Visual Studio and VS Express
(e.g., C#, VB.Net)
– Microsoft Iron Python
– 3rd party languages
 Microsoft Robotics Studio
Authoring tools
• Visual Programming Tool
– Dataflow editing
• Simple connections
• Building blocks
• Model checking
• Code generation
– Dashboards
– Robot models
– Novice to expert
 Microsoft Robotics Studio
Authoring tools

• Simulation visualization tool

– High resolution 3D rendering
• Visual and physics views
– High performance physics engine
• PhysX™ supplied by Ageia Technology
• Optional hardware acceleration
– Makes technology accessible
– Enables fast prototyping
and debugging
– Extensible by code or data
 Microsoft Robotics Studio
Services and samples
• Lots of tutorials
– VB.Net, C#, JScript
– Basic input and output
– Autonomous navigation
• Support for many robotic platforms
– LEGO® Mindstorms® RCX
– LEGO® Mindstorms® NXT
– fischertechnik®
– MobileRobots Pioneer P3™
– Phidgets
– Kondo KHR-1
– Lynxmotion Lynx-6 Robotic Arm
– Parallax BOEBot BASIC Stamp robot
• Support for
– GPS Devices
– Video Capture (Webcam)
– Text-to-Speech (using Microsoft Speech SDK)
 Microsoft Robotics Studio
Community

• Robotics Developer Center website

– www.msdn.microsoft.com/robotics
• Downloads
• Bug reporting
• Blogs (http://blogs.msdn.com/MSRoboticsStudio)
• Newsgroups
• Channel 9 videos and wiki
– MSRS 3.0 is available for download
– A License-Key is needed for Install
 Getting Started - Tips
• Download the Microsoft Robotics Studio
• Learn Programming and/or Learn Electronics
• Start off small
• Start with a kit if you have no experience (Lego,
Phidgets)
• Enter a contest (College or others)
• Learn from others mistakes
• Ask lots of questions
• Share your experiences with others (Forums,
Discussions Groups)
• Don’t give up
 Q&A
Connect
www.kinnarshah.in
kinnarshah@live.com
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