Modular robot communication interface

The field of robotics is a relatively new technology in comparison with other engineering technologies. The USQ Modular Robot is a continually evolving robot development project which brings together a wide variety of engineering disciplines such as mechanical, electrical and software together. The past research projects on the Modular Robot have produced a set of mechanical components to build a robot structure with, and a set of distributed controllers on a CAN network that can provide control over motors, actuators and sensors throughout the robot. This project aims to extend functionality of the distributed controllers by researching and developing a control system for the Modular Robot. While it has not been possible to achieve full positional control of the robot due to the lack of software functionality in the distributed modules, this project has successfully produced a highly configurable real-time communication interface to the CAN bus. This interface will provide the groundwork required for further research in the field of automation and control of the Modular Robot