Miro: Middleware for Autonomous Mobile Robots

Abstract Implementing software for autonomous mobile robots is a non-trivial task, because such robots incorporate several sensor systems and actuators that must be controlled simultaneously by a heterogeneous ensemble of networked computers and microcontrollers. Additionally, the use of modern software engineering technologies like object-oriented and distributed programming and client/server architectures is essential in order to maintain program code effectively. In this paper, we present Miro, a new CORBA-based robot programming framework which allows a rapid development of reliable and safe software on heterogeneous computer networks and supports the mixed use of several programming languages.