Distributed Real-Time Control of a Mobile Robot

We describe a distributed real-time architecture, based on transputers, for intelligent control of a mobile robot. This architecture takes the form of a network of sensing and control nodes, based on a novel module that we call Locally Intelligent Control Agents (LICAs). Each LICA has its own processing facility, and the overall system does not require any common buses or central communication facilities. Computation is performed locally and communication occurs between any two LICAs using high speed, point to point communication links. The LICAs run independently to achieve specific subtasks, and in parallel to interact intelligently with the real world. Using this architecture, our mobile robot can navigate in a manufacturing environment, plan an optimal path to reach the goal, and avoid unexpected obstacles in real time. The architecture has been made available commercially for manufacturing applications.