SmartSoft on Robotino for Robot Developers

Introduction

The term SmartSoft originally stands for the component based robotics framework that was published in 1999. Comparable with other robotic frameworks or middlewares, SmartSoft provides communication mechanisms to exchange information between components and provides a component container.
However, there are clear and explicit communication semantics (communication patterns) and a clear component model.
SmartSoft uses components with services as fundamental building blocks.
In addition, SmartSoft provides implementations and tools such as the Eclipse based integrated model-driven SmartMDSD Toolchain. The SmartMDSD Toolchain supports the complete development process from component developer over system integration up to runtime aspects.

One of the principles behind SmartSoft is that robotic systems have to be composed from components, rather than programmed. SmartSoft provides components in repositories ready for reuse and composition of new robotic applications through the SmartSoft MDSD toolchain.

SmartSoft components that are specifically developed for the use with the robotino platform, can be found in the repository:
http://svn.openrobotino.org/smartsoft/trunk/components/

All other SmartSoft components can and are used in combination with those components as well, e.g. laser components, all the navigation, localization and mapping components, etc. .
Link to the components from the main smartsoft repository:
http://servicerobotik-ulm.de/drupal/doxygen/components_commrep/group__componentGroup.html

We encourage all SmartSoft robotics software developer to use the SmartMDSD Toolchain, although it is possible to develop SmartSoft applications without it. With the SmartSoft toolchain you get support throughout the complete development process.