A unified design framework for mobile robot systems

This thesis addresses the hypothesis that a Unified Framework for Mobile Robot Systems may be implemented irrespective of its vehicle platform. Robots can be described by their robot architecture. Traditionally, this architecture describes the software aspects that influence its reaction to stimuli, real-time behaviour and deliberative reasoning. This work concentrates on developing a unified framework that not only encompasses state-of-the-art robot architectures, but also encompasses the structure of all components within the robot system, including environments, users and interaction devices. Whereas traditionally, robot architectures have focused heavily on segregating hardware and software elements, the proposed unified approach does not attempt to impose such boundaries.