An environment for programming and control of multi‐robot manipulators

Purpose – Discusses development of an open architecture multi‐robot system that can be used for training engineers in the area of networked‐based multi‐robot programming. Design/methodology/approach – The robots are operated under their original controllers connected together through a network of supervisory computers. A preemptive multi‐tasking real time operating system (RTOS) running on these computers is used to perform supervisory and cooperative tasks involving multiple robots. The software environment allows for controlling the motion of one or more robots and their interaction with other devices. Findings – Robots can be networked to perform more elaborate tasks. Originality/value – The environment is used to train undergraduate and graduate students on how to develop software for various robotic applications, including scheduling techniques, cooperative manipulation, collision avoidance, and emerging robotic applications.