Design Requirements and Framework for a Robotic Infrastructure System

www.uab.edu Abstract: Robotic Infrastructure Systems will soon become an integral part of industry, offices, and our homes. They will be able to be controlled remotely from the Internet, and have interfaces to many systems and databases. However, current robots are mostly used for stand-alone manufacturing operations, toys, and scientific research. In order to exist as part of the critical infrastructure, robots must be able to interact with multiple users, authenticate users, track usage and users, and provide feedback to the user. The critical element that will allow such functionality is the communications channel – which will most likely be the Internet. To make proper use of the Internet, system architecture and protocols must be developed to support robots and the unique functions they will provide to the users. This paper addresses the issues that must be accounted for in developing architecture for robotics within the infrastructure. These issues are the basis for design decisions in developing robotic infrastructure systems