A language for declarative robotic programming

Abstract

We have applied methodologies developed for domain-specific embedded languages to create a high-level robot control language called Frob, for functional robotics. Frob supports a programming style that cleanly separates the what from the how of a robotic control program. That is, the what is a simple, easily understood definition of the control strategy using groups of equations and primitives which combine sets of these control system equations into a complex system. The how aspect of the program addresses the unpleasant details, such as the method used to realize these equations, the connection between the control equations and the sensors and effectors in the robot, and communication with other elements of the system. Frob is a system that supports rapid prototyping of new control strategies, enables software reuse through composition, and defines a system in a way that can be formally reasoned about and transformed.