Connecting Sensors and Robots Through the Internet by Integrating Robotics Studio and Embedded Web Services

Abstract

While sensors and robots are prevalent in modern electronic devices, there still exists a general lack of interoperability between them. It would be nice if all real world objects could speak the same language, regardless of their differing properties. This work combines the development of two software platforms, Microsoft Invisible Computing and Microsoft Robotics Studio, to provide the means for a real-time sensor network to achieve this goal. Microsoft Invisible Computing, a light-weight operating system and communications middleware compatible with several existing hardware platforms, allows real-time communication with sensors and robots, along with the means to send and receive XML/SOAP messages. Microsoft Robotics Studio, on the other hand, can provide the decentralized orchestration, simulation and user interface necessary for sensor network nodes to interoperate efficiently. Ultimately, this work lays a foundation for a world of compatible objects.