Publication
A ROS 2 -BASED GATEWAY FOR A MODULAR HARDWARE USAGE IN HETEROGENEOUS ENVIRONMENTS
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Authors
Abstract(s)
O surgimento da Robótica e Internet of Things (IoT) marca uma mudança fundamental
em direção a um mundo mais interligado e automatizado, fundindo o
mundo físico ao digital. No entanto, este tipo de combinação enfrenta desafios
complexos, como por exemplo, os relacionados com a integração em ambientes com
sistemas antigos, a interoperabilidade entre dispositivos ou sistemas heterogéneos
e a adaptabilidade e eficiência devido à inflexibilidade dos robôs tradicionais. Existe
também o desafio de aprender novas tecnologias e conceitos dependendo do
fabricante do robô. Face ao exposto, existe então a necessidade de uma mudança
em direção a soluções robóticas modulares e, por isso, esta dissertação apresenta
um novo middleware baseado em Robot Operating System 2 (ROS2), cujo nome é
“gateway”, projetado para facilitar a integração de robôs em qualquer ambiente de
uma forma simplificada e rápida. Ao focar-se nos módulos de hardware dos robôs e
ao estabelecer pontes para comunicações externas, este middleware visa melhorar a
modularidade e a interoperabilidade, agilizando assim o processo de integração dos
robôs. Os utilizadores apenas interagem com o sistema através de uma interface de
utilizador na linha de comandos, selecionando os módulos de hardware e tecnologias
de comunicação que atendam às suas necessidades específicas. De seguida, o gateway
configura e executa o que for necessário de acordo com as opções e configurações
que o utilizador introduziu. Esta abordagem não só acelera o processo de integração,
mas também garante que os robôs permaneçam flexíveis e adaptáveis a uma ampla
variedade de tarefas e ambientes. Através do desenvolvimento e avaliação deste
middleware, pretende-se demonstrar o seu potencial para superar as limitações
dos sistemas robóticos tradicionais e abrir caminho para uma integração e uso
mais versátil e eficiente de robôs em vários ecossistemas. Este projeto contribui
para a Internet of Robotics Things (IoRT), destacando a importância do hardware
dos robôs, princípios de design modular e comunicações interoperáveis na área da
robótica e IoT.
The rise of robotics and the Internet of Things (IoT) could potentially represent a significant shift towards a more integrated and automated future, where the physical and digital domains may merge. However, the integration of these technologies does present certain challenges, including compatibility issues with existing systems and the need for greater interoperability between different devices. It would seem that the rigidity of traditional robotic designs may inadvertently make these difficulties worse, which in turn highlights the potential benefits of modular solutions. Furthermore, the mastery of new technologies may introduce additional complexity due to the varying approaches taken by robot manufacturers. In order to address these issues, this research proposes a Robot Operating System (ROS2)-based middleware, called the "ROS2-based gateway", which aims to simplify the integration of robots in different environments. By focusing on the payload layer and enabling external communication, this middleware has the potential to enhance modularity and interoperability, thus accelerating the integration process. It offers users the option of selecting payloads and communication methods via a shell interface, which the middleware then configures, ensuring adaptability. The solution proposed in this dissertation, based on the gateway concept, offers users and programmers the flexibility to specify which payloads they want to activate, depending on the task at hand and the high-level protocols they wish to use to interact with the activated payloads. This approach allows for the optimisation of hardware resources (only the necessary payloads are activated), as well as enabling the programmer/user to utilise high-level communication protocols (such as RESTful, Kafka, etc.) to interact with the activated payloads, rather than low-level programming.
The rise of robotics and the Internet of Things (IoT) could potentially represent a significant shift towards a more integrated and automated future, where the physical and digital domains may merge. However, the integration of these technologies does present certain challenges, including compatibility issues with existing systems and the need for greater interoperability between different devices. It would seem that the rigidity of traditional robotic designs may inadvertently make these difficulties worse, which in turn highlights the potential benefits of modular solutions. Furthermore, the mastery of new technologies may introduce additional complexity due to the varying approaches taken by robot manufacturers. In order to address these issues, this research proposes a Robot Operating System (ROS2)-based middleware, called the "ROS2-based gateway", which aims to simplify the integration of robots in different environments. By focusing on the payload layer and enabling external communication, this middleware has the potential to enhance modularity and interoperability, thus accelerating the integration process. It offers users the option of selecting payloads and communication methods via a shell interface, which the middleware then configures, ensuring adaptability. The solution proposed in this dissertation, based on the gateway concept, offers users and programmers the flexibility to specify which payloads they want to activate, depending on the task at hand and the high-level protocols they wish to use to interact with the activated payloads. This approach allows for the optimisation of hardware resources (only the necessary payloads are activated), as well as enabling the programmer/user to utilise high-level communication protocols (such as RESTful, Kafka, etc.) to interact with the activated payloads, rather than low-level programming.
Description
Keywords
Engenharia informática Robótica Computação móvel Automação Robot operating system 2