Extending the RCCL programming environment to multiple robots and processors

The Robot Control C Library (RCCL) is a system for developing robot control programs in a UNIX environment, and has proven to be useful in research applications. Work undertaken in expanding RCCL to handle multiple robots, and upgrading its implementation to a multiple-processor microVAX/UNIX system is reported. This includes (1) reworking the primitive set to allow for the specification of multiple robot actions; (2) modifying the trajectory generation mechanism so that several robots may be controlled and coordinated at once; and (3) redesigning the system interface on top of which RCCL is built to allow the creation of multiple real-time robot control tasks interfaced to UNIX.<
>