Visual Programming Platform for Autonomous Mobile Robots Controlled by FPGA´s

This work describes the design of software that allows the programming of autonomous, omnidirectional mobile robots controlled by FPGA ´s and embedded microprocessors, in a very intuitive visual environment. The software and robots described in this work were designed to be used in the teaching of different areas of engineering. With the use of windows and options, the software facilitates the rapid and easy creation of complex state machines which, based on the state of the sensors, control the robot´s actions. Secondly, the user-friendly software will translate, compile, synthesize and finally program the FPGA of the robot, thereby allowing it to be used by people without much knowledge of electronics. The software and the robots were tested in a robotic contest organized within the context of the International Olympics of Informatics, in August of 2006, with participants from 25 countries, and obtained excellent results.