PRIPES: a multiprocessor based system for programming and controlling manipulators in robotic applications

Powerful robot controlling systems especially designed for demanding robotic applications like assembly planning strongly depend on its hard- and software resources. In this paper we present a powerful parallel robot independent programming and controlling environment with simulation capabilities (PRIPES). Based on an open multiprocessor architecture PRIPES provides an easy programming interface for robotic applications. Due to its full support of dynamic processing and its real-time capable communication subsystem, it provides the basic requirements for high sophisticated processes, e.g. for monitoring purposes in compliant motion applications. Consequently, PRIPES supports the implementation of parallel algorithms, which can be used to significantly reduce calculation times consumed by numerical complex algorithms. Subsequently, we give first results in implementing a parallelized algorithm for calculating stable orientations of assemblies in order to prove the capabilities of PRIPES.