Integrating robotic software frameworks for convenient software component exchange in micro- and nanoscale applications

Software development is a little discussed but essential part of micro- and nanoscale robotic systems. Current robotic systems are often controlled by a monolithic software that is either provided by the hardware manufacturer or specially tailored software for a particular application. One of the major challenges is to provide the research community with means that enable easy integration of software produced by different partners. The provided solution should not be bound to any particular programming language or scheme. This paper describes the currently used software approaches in control of micro- and nanorobotic systems. Progress towards convenient software integration is showcased by integrating two robotic software frameworks OFFIS automation framework and ROS. The first is an example of micro- and nanoscale oriented robotic software frameworks and the latter is designed for the needs of conventional robotic applications. The proposed integration approach is validated by an exemplary use case of a pick-and-place operation.