An RPC-Based Service Framework for Robot and Sensor Network Integration

We describe and evaluate a new programming and communications framework that eases the creation of complex heterogeneous systems comprising robots and sensor networks. We use a light-weight RPC-based service framework that allows robots and static sensor nodes to be considered as services, accessible to an internet connected end-user, or to each other. We present experimental results for a very large environmental monitoring application comprising a floating sensor network and a robotic boat.