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RT-middleware (Robotics Technology Middleware) is a common platform standards for Robots based on distributed object technology. RT-middleware supports the construction of various networked robotic systems by the integration of various network-enabled robotic elements called RT-Components. The specification standard of RT-components is discussed and defined by the Object Management Group (OMG).
Contents
Characteristic
In the RT-middleware, robotics elements, such as actuators, are regarded as RT-components, and the whole robotic system is constructed by connecting those RT-components. This distributed architecture helps developers to reuse the robotic elements and boosts the reliability of the robotic system.
Each RT-component has a port as an endpoint for communicating other RT-components. Every port has its type and the ports which have the same type can be connected each other.
RT-components also have state, so the RT-components behaves as state machines. The states that RT-components can have are CREATED, INACTIVE, ACTIVE, and ERROR. States and behaviors are controlled by the execution-context. If developers want to change the behavior of their RT-components, the execution-context can be replaced at runtime.
Implementations
RT-middleware is just standard of the Robotics platform software. Implementations of the RT-middleware are as follows: