Adaptation of the IBM 7535 robot for use as a slave in a hierarchical master/slave relationship

Abstract

AbstractA new programming environment for the IBM 7535 robot is introduced. AML/E is replaced by a hierarchical control scheme involving a host and a subservient robot. Application programs are developed on the host, an IBM‐PC XT, in an extended version of the “C” programming language. These extensions allow an application program to be composed of several concurrent processes, one of which is responsible for commanding the robot. To configure the robot as a slave in this relationship, a new operating system was developed for its controller. Written in the same language employed at the host level, it is structured as four concurrent processes managing the robot's resources. An interprocess message‐passing scheme provides a path for master/slave communication. The resultant environment is believed to be superior to the original language AML/E for the following reasons: Concurrency, along with the data and control structures of “C,” is made available to the application programmer. Communication is well structured. The robot's operating system is documented, written in a high‐level language, and open to the user for modification. Due to the significance of integrating the robot into more complex applications involving sensors, these characteristics are felt to be essential in future robots.