Software Architecture of a Mobile Robot

Software architecture is the bridge between business goal and software system. Choosing and designing an architecture that satisfies the functional as well as the quality attribute requirements (reliability, security and performance, etc.) is vital to the success of the system. This applies equally to any application domains of computer software e.g. Artificial Intelligence Application, Embedded Software, Engineering/Scientific Software, System Software, Application Software and Web Applications. Among the above mentioned software application domains, mobile robotics is an emerging and young discipline with a lot of experimentation and learning in architecture, design and development lifecycle phases of mobile robots. For example there are as yet no widely accepted standards, guidelines, best practices and methodologies for architecture, design and operating systems of mobile robots. This article is written with the focus of designing the architecture of a mobile robot using Siemens 4 View architecture approach. The focus is mainly on applying the Siemens 4 View approach in it true sense to architect the software system of a mobile robot.