This document discusses using Data Distribution Service (DDS) middleware to address the complex communication challenges of connecting robotic systems and the Internet of Things. DDS provides a standardized communication infrastructure that enables reliable, scalable, and secure data distribution across heterogeneous systems. Examples are given of DDS being used for distributed robotics at NASA, medical device integration, smart grid systems, and more. DDS simplifies development, reduces costs, and improves flexibility, maintainability and reuse for connected systems involving robots, sensors and other devices.
Web Form Automation for Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Solutions Apri...
Managing the Robotics Organization with Robotics – IoT
1. Apr 2016
Managing the Robotics
Organization with Robotics
IoT Technologies
April 2016
2. “Building 1,000 robots is hard. Getting 1,000 robots
to work together reliably is, how they’d say it in
Boston? Wicked hard.” *
2
Robotics IoT
* James McLurkin, director of the Multi-Robot
Systems Lab at Rice University, as quoted
by the Boston Globe 2014
3. 3
Robotics IoT
Internet of Things (IoT):
Connected consumer devices
.
Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
An internet of things, machines, computers
and people…
enabling intelligent industrial operations….
Robotics Internet of Things (RIoT)
A internet of things, robotic machines,
computers, and people.
4. 4
Goals for Robotics IoT
Enhanced Applications
Protection of Human Life
Increased Revenue
5. Complex Distributed Communications
More interacting components
Combination of real-time monitoring, control and non real-time data
collection
Scalability
Design for 1 Robot, 10 Robots, 100 Robots, 1000+
Continuing to meet performance requirements
Security
Must be high quality
Must be pervasive
Maintenance
Iterative Upgrades, Replacements
Dynamic Deployments
Components may change based on deployment scenario
5
What makes scaling from 1
to 1000+ robots hard?
6. Data Distribution Service Middleware Technologies
CoreDX DDS product line: leading small-footprint DDS
Open Standards Compliant
High Performance, Robust, Scalable, Secure Communications
Infrastructure
Highly experienced executive and technical teams
Embedded Systems
Complex Deployments
Twin Oaks Computing:
Practical Middleware Expertise
6
Autonomous systems
▪ Systems spanning Earth, Space, Moon
▪ Systems with real-time feedback loops
▪ Systems with 1,000’s of components, and Gbps
throughput requirements
Headquartered in Colorado, USA
Global Sales and Support Coverage
7. DDS is a Communications Middleware
Eases development and deployment of
Distributed Applications
Insulates Application from Communication Details
Robust, Scalable, Low latency
Advanced, Configurable Security
What is DDS?
Publisher
Subscriber
Subscriber
Subscriber
Publisher
7
8. DDS makes your system flexible
Standardized interfaces guarantee portability and
interoperability
Components can be on the same machine or
across a network
DDS makes your system maintainable
Easily add and remove components
Easily handle changing communication
requirements
DDS reduces required development effort
Powerful communication features and
configurability
Common, easy-to-use API
DDS reduces risk and time-to-market
Standardized technology handles all
communication requirements
Application developers focus on industry and
mission specific functionality
Why use DDS?
CoreDX DDS
Operating
System
HARDWARE
Application
Operating
System
HARDWARE
8
9. DDS is used in a wide range of Industries:
Aerospace & Defense
Consumer Electronics
Energy Solutions / Smart Grid
Financial
Healthcare
Home Automation / Smart Home
Scientific Research
Simulation
Space Exploration
Transportation
Unmanned Vehicles
Who uses DDS?
9
10. Data Distribution Service from the Object Management Group
Fully Standardized
▪ Standardized API
▪ Standardized Quality of Service Coverage
▪ Standardized Wire Protocol
▪ Standardized Data Representation
▪ Standardized, end-to-end Security
Vibrant Community
▪ Multiple Vendors with Compliant Implementations
▪ User Community across DoD, commercial, and research domains
▪ Active standards evolve with current technologies and user requirements
Viable, proven, and in use throughout a wide variety of industries and
domains
Millions of deployed instances
DDS:
A Unique Standard
11. DCS Corp: TARDEC unmanned vehicles
Medical surgical and hospital monitoring
devices
Smarter Grid Solutions: Advanced energy
grids
NASA: Robots in Space
11
Example Applications
12. DCS Corp DDS Use:
US Army TARDEC Project
Tank Automotive Research Development and
Engineering Command (TARDEC)
DDS for communication to and among displays
User Interactions
Events
Sensor Data
Status Information
Combination of Windows and
Linux based displays
New requirement: Android phone
and tablet displays
13. DCS Corp Selected DDS – Why?
Simplify Development to Reduce Engineering Costs
▪ Common API across all Operating Systems and Hardware
Platforms
▪ Read/write advanced data types (no need to manually
translate or serialize data in application code)
▪ Powerful set of communication options and features available
Increase Flexibility to Reduce Maintenance Costs
▪ No need to configure (or re-configure) communication end
points
▪ Software can migrate to different computers
▪ Components can be added / removed
DCS Corp DDS Use:
Benefits of using DDS
14. DCS Corp DDS Use:
Standardized Technology Benefits
Standardization == Easy, Low Cost Solution
New Feature Enhancement:
Migrate existing HMI capability to Android Tablet & Smartphone
Displays
DDS Standards
provide
PORTABILITY and
REUSE
Exiting C++ code
base can be
migrated and reused
15. Communication Requirements:
Components on FPGA’s (embedded RTOS), Atoms
(Embedded Linux), Desktop (Windows), Tablets
(Android, iOS)
Networks: directly connected wired Ethernet, local
area WiFi, Internet
Very low latency requirements, secure
communication requirements, over different networks
15
DDS Protocol Case Study:
Medical Device Domain
Additional benefits provided by DDS:
Code reuse among devices
Common API for sending and receiving data between distributed device
components
Flexible architecture: ability to move software components to different
devices late in the development cycle without schedule impacts
Ability to quickly and easily create test programs and emulators to
emulate hardware components not yet available to developers (buttons,
switches, lights on medical device)
16. 16
DDS Protocol Case Study:
Medical Device Domain
Devices dynamicaly
added/removed
Device configuration stored at
Hospital Manager, pushed to
Devices
Devices report patient health to
Nurse Monitoring Station
Mobile Technician
updates firmware
Central Management collects device stats
for failure prediction/maintenance
17. Add SGS Example
17
Smarter Grid Solutions:
Emerging Energy Grid Systems
18. Smarter Grid Solutions:
Emerging Energy Grid Systems
Goals:
Capture greater value from electricity distribution grids
▪ Only 50% of the typical distribution system is monitored
Improve return on investment
Increase Distributed Energy Resources (DER) and customer satisfaction
Plans:
Mission critical automation and control platform
▪ enable continuous operation of the grid closer to design limits, safely
Interface with grid edge devices
▪ Increase DER hosting capacity and enhance load relief programs
Configurable applications
▪ Provide flexibility to adapt to regional differences
Security
▪ Smart processing throughout the grid means greater risk for cyber attack
19. 19
DOMAIN B
DDS PARTITION
(Communications &
Control)
DDS PARTITION
(DER Device & Network
STATUS) DDS PARTITION
(Technology Health/
Watchdog Status)
DDS PARTITION
(DER Discovery &
Registration)
AVC
DERMS Functional Modules
Thermal Constraint
Management
Battery
System
-+
DER Asset
Population
SoC Management
Resource Pooling
SMART Inverter
Control
Network Connectivity
Processor
DER Dispatch
Market Integration
Operational
Systems Adapter
Enterprise Systems
Adapter
Field Device Gateway
DER Discovery/
Registration
Real-Time Grid
Constraint Processor
Customer Portal Market Data Portal
♦ Combines proven
technologies with
emerging standards
♦ Existing Power System
Algorithms overlaid on
new platform
♦ Enablement of
Distributed Control over
wide geographic areas
♦ Leverages DDS GDS,
to segregate
Operational Data
♦ ‘Bridge’ data to other
Operational Systems
and Enterprise
Applications using SOA
Smarter Grid Solutions:
Emerging Energy Grid Systems
20. Space Exploration Communication Challenges
Extremely high latency communication links
Dynamic and Flexible remote control and monitoring
Specialized embedded platforms
Robust: Communications infrastructure must not fail
NASA and DDS
20
21. Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen
and Lunar Volatile Extraction (RESOLVE)
NASA RESOLVE Project:
Looking for water on the Moon
Mini Chemistry Plant mounted on a lunar
rover
Science components
▪ Drill and collect soil (1 meter core)
▪ Heat, separate, and analyze components
▪ Store water and oxygen found
Communication components
▪ IPC between onboard devices and processors
▪ Command, control, status
▪ Results of science experiments
21
22. NASA RESOLVE Project
Communication Requirements
CoreDX DDS
Earth to Lunar link
Rover control
Sensor data
CoreDX DDS
Control Center Network
Multiple Locations, USA, Canada
CoreDX DDS
Rover Internal IPC
Multiple devices
22
23. NASA RESOLVE Project
Architecture
GC-MS
LAVA
OVEN
Gateway
xGDS/MSK/
LV stations
LV Cmd
stations
1->n
3
HP Control Center
Drill
Cameras
(3)
NS
Near-IR
IIU (Q6
µBlaze)
RCU (Q6
µBlaze)
Avionics
DAU/PDU
CAN bus
RS-232
RS-422
CAN bus
RS-485
RESOLVE Payload
LV Cmd
stations
LV Cmd
stations
LV Cmd
stations
KSC
JSC
CSA
LV Mon
stations
ARC
IPC DDS
GC-MS
station
Control Center DDS
VNCGRD
DDS
23
24. Dynamic Publish-Subscribe Architecture
Real-time, Reliable Communications over disparate network
mediums
Earth-Moon, LAN, VPN
Standardized API across heterogeneous and deeply
embedded computing devices
Windows, Linux, PPC, FPGAs
Data Communication Features available across all platforms
(even FPGAs)
High performance communications
Automatic discovery and configuration of endpoints
Interoperability
Different agencies can command the Rover using their chosen DDS
implementation.
NASA RESOLVE Project:
Benefits of Using CoreDX DDS
24
25. NASA SPHERES Project:
Free Flying Robots
Remotely operated assistants
for Astronauts in space
Test algorithms related to free
flying satellites
Positioning and collision
avoidance
Fuel balancing
Re-targeting, image plane
filling maneuvers
Geometry estimators
Bowling Ball sized ‘droids’
Free-flying with Power,
Guidance, Computing, and
Navigation
Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental
Satellites (SPHERES)
25
26. Recently added Android-based
Smartphone to SPHERES
New Capability Goals
Remote control SPHERES from within
the ISS or from the Earth (Johnson
Space Center)
Collect images and video and
distribute to Earth
Expand robotics operations using
Smartphone computing power
NASA SPHERES Project:
Communication Requirements
26
27. Real-time, Reliable Communications over
disparate network mediums
Earth-Space, LAN
Long-term reuse potential
Comprehensive and flexible communication features
allow for reuse
▪ Multiple programs with disparate requirements
▪ Evolving requirements on long-life programs
Migration and Interoperability between different
computing platforms
▪ Android phones
▪ Windows, Linux desktop computers
NASA SPHERES Project:
Benefits of Using CoreDX DDS
27
28. Connected robotics systems have complex
communication requirements:
Where do I get my data?
How often?
What happens if you don’t send it? Or if I don’t receive it?
How time sensitive is my data?
How much data do I need to store for future use?
How do I select (filter) only the data I need to receive?
How do I secure my data and my communications?
Summary
28
DDS addresses complex communication
challenges of tomorrow’s connected systems
Now, here is what makes DDS Unique:
Not just about the standard, but the community…
Not every standard can do this…
Think about the other messaging/communications… most have either an API, or a wire protocol standardized, but not the full set. Most have a provider, but not a large set.
Because DDS is fully standardized, and has this strong community around it means that these OA goals like interoperability and portability Are a reality.
The work they are doing with TARDEC.
Command and control for a wide variety of vehicle platforms from large convoy vehicles to small autonomous unmanned vehicles.
They handle command and control, mission data, status information, and a variety of displays.
Recently received a requirement to add Android phone and tablet displays to their platforms.
New requirement from customer
Could easily add functionality to meet this requirement, because of the standardization of DDS…
(communication focus) An easy port of their existing code base to this very different platform (Android) versus standard Linux/Windows.
Picture to frame all the protocols coming in this presentation