Mobotware is a plug-in based software platform developed at Automation and Control. The software has been used for education and research in mobile robotics in the last decade. Important design criteria have been real-time performance of the control level, easy integration of sensors, fast porting to new robots and core system stability and maintainability in an undisciplined programming environment.
Real-time performance is assured by using RTAI-Linux, core stability is obtained by using plug-ins for user developed modules. The plug-in based module structure combined with inter module communication based on TCP/IP sockets and human readable XML-protocol makes it easy to use the system on a wide range of hardware platforms and configurations.
Providing a simple scripting robot control language the system also supports use by non-technicians. This is demonstrated by successful use of the system in education of graduate school pupils starting from fifth’ grade.