A compact/open network-based controller incorporating modular software architecture for a humanoid robot

This paper presents the design of a compact/open network-based controller i ncorporating modular software architecture for various kinds of robot appli cations. Within the proposed controller scheme, a standardized real-time ne twork like CAN connects the central motion control part and the servo contr ol part. Thus, the size of the servo controller becomes small enough to be attached inside the robot body and the control software can be designed wit h an open and modular concept. The open/compact controller incorporating a modular software architecture offers benefits of reduced engineering costs. The proposed architecture has been implemented on a KIST humanoid robot co ntroller platform and its performance has been verified through experimenta l tests.