Towards multi-processor and multi-robot controllers

We describe in this paper a new approach in the design of robot controllers. This system will allow the programming and the control of complex assemblies operations in which one or two robots and a positioning and force sensitive table will be involved. The open hardware systems or any kind of sensor. In this system, all the devices which are locally controlled by one or more processors can be programmed from a single workstation in which most of the existing tools needed to program complex robotic applications are available: robotic oriented and general purpose languages, graphic simulation, multi-window editors... The proposed controller is built around a 68000 family based workstation (SM90) tied to a set of heterogeneous industrial buses, to form a hierarchical and distributed environment in which each of the physical device disposes of its own local controller.