Real-time architecture for mobile assistant robots

Mobile robotics is a challenging research area, with produced results that were unthinkable several years ago. There exist algorithms and methods capable of performing difficult tasks such as detect/classify objects, skill learning and SLAM. From the initial design steps, the real-time software architecture of a robotic platform requires great attention. The problem is difficult, because various components, such as sensing, perception, localization, and motor control, are required to operate and interact in real-time. This makes the system a very complex one. This paper presents a real-time control architecture designed for mobile robots and intelligent vehicles. Moreover, an example of application of the control structure consisting on a system for learning to classify places, using laser range data, is reported.