Exception handling in robotics

The construction of robust and reliable robot systems able to handle errors arising from abnormal operating conditions is addressed. It is assumed that the robot program is logically correct but fails due to hardware or external state errors. The error-handling technique called exception handling is treated. The type of errors that can occur in a robot system and their error-handling requirements are described, and approaches to error handling and recovery are reviewed. Exception-handling facilities in Ada and AML/X are mentioned, and Exceptional C, the language chosen for exposition, is described. The use of exception-handling facilities is illustrated with two examples.<>