RCON: Dynamic mobile interfaces for command and control of ROS-enabled robots

The development of effective user interfaces for an autonomous system can be quite difficult, especially for devices that are to be operated in the field where access to standard computer platforms may be difficult or impossible. One approach in this type of environment is to utilize tablet or phone devices, which when coupled with an appropriate tool such as ROSBridge can be used to connect with standard robot middleware. This has proven to be a successful approach for devices with mature user interface requirements but may require significant software development for experimental systems. Here we describe RCON, a software tool that allows user interfaces on iOS devices to be configured on the device itself, in real time, in response to changes in the robot software infrastructure or the needs of the operator. The system is described in detail along with the accompanying communication framework and the process of building a user interface for a simple autonomous device.