Using and extending the Miro middleware for autonomous mobile robots

Abstract

Controlling and coordinating a heterogeneous and autonomous multi-robot system is still a challenging task. To reduce the required implementation effort, the middleware concept has been introduced recently. This software layer defines unified interfaces and communication services according to the individual robot capabilities. We were faced with the problem of identifying an appropriate middleware software architecture for our heterogeneous multi-robot system designated for outdoor search-and-rescue missions. After comparing different alternatives, we chose Miro as a basic architecture. This article describes our experiences with using and adapting Miro for our purposes. Special attention is payed to the open problem of communication security.