Package dlife.robot

Classes, interfaces and packages used to interact with robots.

See:
Description

Class Summary

ArraySensor<VTYPE>	Abstract base class for a sensor with values that can be represented as an array of values.
ConsoleSensor	Sensor for displaying standard output and standard error.
Controller	Base class for controlling robots within the ControlCenter.
ControllerThread	Thread that runs a given Controller on a given Robot.
DeadReckoningSensor	Abstract base class for Sensors that access the dead reckoning data from a robot.
DeltaPositionEffector	Abstract base class for effectors that use odometry to move a robot a specified distance forward or backward or rotate it CW or CCW a specified angle.
Device	Represents a robotic device (a sensor or an effector).
DifferentialDriveEffector	Abstract base class for the effector controlling the motion of robots with differential drive system.
GripperEffector	Abstract base class for Grippers.
OdometrySensor	Abstract base class for Sensors that access a robot's Odometry data from.
OnOffSetEffector	Abstract base class for an Effector controlling a set of things that may be turned on or off.
PanTiltZoomEffector	Abstract base class for effectors for controlling Pan/Tilt/Zoom camera devices.
PseudoDevice	Abstract base class for devices that do not require communication with a robot.
Robot	Abstract base class for all of the supported robots.
TextStreamSensor	A Sensor for reading text from a stream.

Exception Summary

DuplicateDeviceException	Exception thrown when a duplicate Device is added to a Robot.
RobotCommunicationException	Exception thrown when an unrecoverable error occurs during communication with a robot.
RobotCreationCanceledException	Exception thrown when the user cancels the creation of a robot.

Package dlife.robot Description

Classes, interfaces and packages used to interact with robots.

Overview:

The support for robots in dLife is built around two types of objects:

Robot

A sub-class of Robot exists for each type of robot with which dLife can interact (e.g. Hemisson or Aibo). These classes are responsible for all communications between dLife and the robot.

Device

An implementation of Device exists for each sensor or effector that a robot can have (e.g. HemissonSonar or HemissonDifferentialDrive). These classes are responsible for obtaining the device information from the robot and making it available via accessor methods and for relaying commands to the robot to enact (e.g. move forward, open gripper).

Using a Robot:

dLife supports the use of robots both through a GUI interface (the ControlCenter) and directly. When using a robot via the ControlCenter GUI, the user can see visual displays of sensor readings, can manipulate effectors via GUI controls and can run their own software to control the robot. The ControlCenter manages issues such as connecting to the robots, periodically reading sensors and executing control software. When the robot support is used directly (without the ControlCenter), the user's software must manage all of these things directly. While more complex, such direct use also provides greater flexibility and the opportunity for higher performance.

Using Robots with the ControlCenter:

A complete discussion of the use of robots with the ControlCenter is provided in the dlife.robot.gui.controlcenter documentation.

Using Robots Directly:

If greater flexability or higher performance than possible with the ControlCenter is needed, robots can be controlled directly. The following examples provide a good starting point for learning about direct control of robots using dLife:
• HemissonApproachStandAlone
• PlayerSimulationHemiWander
• PlayerMultipleRobots

Developer Information:

The classes and interfaces in dlife.robot have been designed to make it easy to add new robots as well as new devices for existing robots.

The text below describes the process for adding new robots, sensors and effectors.

Adding a New Robot:

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Adding a New PlayerRobot:

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Adding a New Device:

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