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Glossary

Note

Glossary is closely linked to the ontology developed by the consortium in order to support the definition of the RobotML DSL. The reader willing to know more about this subject is to follow http://www.anr-proteus.fr/?q=node/111

Acceleo
Acceleo is the tool used in the RobotML platform to implement generators towards simulator and robotic middle-ware frameworks. More information can be found on Acceleo website.
Algorithm
An algorithm is a recette describing elementary behaviour of module that can be found in robotic systems (see wikipedia for more information)
Application
It is a computing entity able to work upon a hardware that provides computing capabilities. It is also a computing entity capable of providing life to another software. At the bottom level, it is the OS of the computer.
ANR
ANR stands for Agence Nationale de la Recherche. More information can be found on ANR website
ATHENA
ATHENA is a language associated with generators to go towards specific simulator code. It was developed thanks to an open consortium during its infancy but in its later flavour is totally owned by Dassault Aviation and used in collaborative project to help integrate development of diverse contributors into a unique application (as an example do consider http://www.pegase-project.eu).
ARROCAM
ARROCAM is one of the existing Robotic middle-ware target that exists for the RobotML JUNO flavour. This middle-ware is developped by EFFIDENCE company. More information is available following www.effidence.com
blender
BLENDER
BLENDER is an open-source tool trying to provide the capabilities to model and animate 3D objects. It is very powerful and can be compared to existing 3D modeller such as MAYA . More information on the BLENDER website
BRICS
BRICS stands for Best pRactice in robot ICS*. It is an European project which goals are overlapping PROTEUS project. More information can be found followin http://www.best-of-robotics.org/)
Cycab-Tk
Cycab-Tk is one of the existing Environment simulator target that exists for the RobotML JUNO flavour. This middle-ware is developped by a community under INRIA direction. More information is available following gforge.inria.fr/projects/cycabtk/
developper
The developper is someone intervening on the RobotML platfrom development and thus that interacts with the development’s repositories.
DEVS
DEVS stands for Discrete EVvent system Specification. It is a mathematical approach of how to model system and to simulate them. More information can be found on DEVS wikipedia webpage
DSL
DSL stands for Domain Specific Language. Quotation from wikipedia: It is a programming language or specification language dedicated to a particular problem domain, a particular problem representation technique, and/or a particular solution technique. More information can be found following http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain-specific_language
ECLIPSE
ECLIPSE is the platform on which the RobotML tooling was built. More information on it can be found on eclipse project website.
EMF
EMF (Eclipse Modeling Framework) is an Eclipse-based modeling framework and code generation facility for building tools and other applications based on a structured data model.
EPL
EPL (Eclipse Public License) is an open source software license used by the Eclipse Foundation for its software.
EUROP / EURON
EUROP / EURON stands for EUROpean Platform / EUropean RObotics Network.
git
git is a distributed revision control and source code management (SCM) system.
GDR Robotique
GDR stands for Groupement De Recherche. It is a community backed up by the French research group CNRS that groups the different laboratories concerned by Robotic research topics. It is associated to a club grouping interested Industrial partners. A Portal exists that allows interested readers to access this community.
INRIA
inria
INRIA stands for Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique. It is a French research organism that focussed primly on STIC. More information on its website .
LAAS
LAAS stands for Laboratoire d’Analyse et d’Architecture des Systèmes. It is the biggest French CNRS team and in the scope of RobotML is supporting the MORSE environment simulator.
LIRMM
LIRMM stands for Laboratoire d’Informatique, de Robotique et de Microelectronique de Montpellier
MARTE
MARTE (Modeling and Analysis of Real Time and Embedded systems) is the OMG standard for modeling real-time and embedded applications with UML2.
MBD
MBD (Model-Based Design) is a mathematical and visual method of addressing problems associated with designing complex control, signal processing and communication systems. It is used in many motion control, industrial equipment, aerospace, and automotive applications. Model-based design is a methodology applied in designing embedded software.
MDA
MDA (Model-Driven Architecture) is a software design approach for the development of software systems. It provides a set of guidelines for the structuring of specifications, which are expressed as models. Model-driven architecture is a kind of domain engineering, and supports model-driven engineering of software systems. It was launched by the Object Management Group (OMG) in 2001.
middleware
A middleware is a piece of software allowing its user to ignore complexities of the underlying software and / or hardware structure. As an example, robotic middleware try to promote a view where sensors and effectors are not to be programmed anymore but to be configured using the same methodology (see OROCOS or RTMaps)
model
A model provides an abstract view of the situation someone wants to convey to another person. This view if embodied using a Domain Specific Language can be used for other purposes such as documentation, generation of elements able to insert in a software application and so on and so forth
module
A module in our context is exclusively, as delivered from a portal, software.
MORSE
It is an add-on of the BLENDER 3D modelling environment that allows to simulate Physical environment and physical objects deplyed into it. As an example, It is what create sensible information to the different sensors.
OMG
OMG (Object Management Group) is an international, open membership, not-for-profit computer industry standards consortium. OMG Task Forces develop enterprise integration standards for a wide range of technologies and an even wider range of industries. OMG‘s modeling standards enable powerful visual design, execution and maintenance of software and other processes. Originally aimed at standardizing distributed object-oriented systems, the company now focuses on modeling (programs, systems and business processes) and model-based standards.
OROCOS
It stands for Open RObot COntrol Software. It is a component based architecture and its goal is to allow clear separation of behaviour implementation and architecture concerns. Another goal is to provide standard behaviour components for decision issues. More information can be found on OROCOS website.
OS
OS stands for Operating System. It is the software that makes everything run on a computer
PAPYRUS
Papyrus
Papyrus is the toolset on which the RobotML language has been based. More information can be found on papyrus website.
portal
The portal is the commonplace where the robotic community will be able to upload and download data
PRISME
PRISME stands for institut Pluridisciplaire de Recherche en Ingenierie des Systemes Mecanique, Energetique de Bourges
problem

A problem is

  1. the definition of the architecture of one or more robots and their environment (in our case, using the proteus main tool);
  2. the definition inside the robot(s) architecture of one or multiple components in which it is necessary to develop solutions;
  3. the definition of probes that allow simulation exploitation;
  4. the definition of the metrics and their associated validity domain in order to measure the solution quality and compare it to other solutions.
provider
A provider is someone able to connect to the portal in order to upload to it the elements he/she can provide
PROTEUS
It is the project that allowed the creation of all the data, tools, resources described by this documentation. PROTEUS stands for Platform for RObotic modelling and Transformations for End-Users and Scientific communities (There is also a french reading of this acronym: Plateforme pour la Robotique Organisant les Transferts Entre Utilisateurs et Scientifiques). More information are to be found on PROTEUS website.
RCP
it stands for Rich Client Platform. It is the tool used in order to create the RobotML platform.
RIM
RIM stands for Robot Independant Model. It is an attempt to create a repository of robotic architectures not linked to any particular robotic system and which, used in conjunction with RobotML platform, may allow their user to share knowledge among the robotic community. RIM is specifically linked to a dedicated portal that can be accessed through the RIM portal link
robot
Robot definition is of ambiguous nature. Considering its wikipedia embodiement: A robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by a program or circuitry. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or remotely controlled and range from humanoids such as ASIMO and TOPIO to Nano robots, ‘swarm’ robots, and industrial robots. It is a definition large enough to include aircraft, cars, mobile aspirators, etc. Considering the context, we will stick to this definition not emphasising humanoïd robots.
RobotML
it stands for Robot Modelling Language. It is the Domain Specific Language that was developped during the PROTEUS project to allow Robotic community to create abstract views of robotic problems, solutions, etc.
RobotML-sdk
it stands for RobotML software development toolkit. It is the set of tools associated with the RobotML platform in order to allow generation towards different simulators / robotic middlewares targets. This sdk is supported for the time being only on UBUNTU12.04. For more detail consult the page dedicated to the sdk installation.
ROS
ROS stands for Robot Operation System. its goal is to provide a standard framework allowing to make modules into application. In the RobotML platform context it has been chosen as the default communication bus.
RTMaps
RTMaps stands for Real-Time Multimodal APplicationS. It is in its 4th flavour and is an asynchronous high performance platform designed to face and win multisensor challenges and to allow engineers and researchers to take an advantage of an efficient and easy-to-use framework for fast and robust developments.
simulator
It is an application that in RobotML-sdk context must be generated by the RobotML platform and that after a configuration phase is executed
solution
  1. In a problem context, A solution is an algorithm itself possibly integrating an architecture that allows during the execution of a simulator to extract values from the defined metrics that remains in their validity domain.
  2. Subpart of interest in the software system of a robot. Its implementation is provided by a Solution Provider.
scenario
A Scenario is a context defined loosely where its reader will understand what are the elements she / he will find in the problems that will be derived from it. In order to provide a scenario, there are no obligations to provide formalised elements such as required by a problem. Video, documents, pictures, etc that are sufficient to let those willing to use them to understand this context. It can be detailed in many details as well as only explaining the different actors or only goals.
sensor
Equipment that detects, measures, and/or records physical phenomena, and indicates objects and activities by means of energy or particles emitted, reflected, or modified by the objects and activities.
SVN
SVN stands for SubVersioN. It is a Version Control software that allows developers to synchronise source code in a distributed fashion. In the context of RobotML platform, there is on the portal a SVN erver allowing users to share their experiences
Subclipse
Subclipse is an Eclipse Team Provider plug-in providing support for Subversion within the Eclipse IDE. The software is released under the Eclipse Public License (EPL) 1.0 open source license.
SysML
SysML (Systems Modeling Language) is a general-purpose modeling language for systems engineering applications. It supports the specification, analysis, design, verification and validation of a broad range of systems and systems-of-systems.
user
A user is someone able to connect to the portal in order to download from it the elements he/she would like to use namely the RobotML platform
VLE
VLE stands for Virtual Laboratory Environment. It is an implementation of the DEVS theory allowing its users to have a safe approach of their system models. More information can be found on VLE website
UML
UML (Unified Modeling Language) is a standardized (ISO/IEC 19501:2005), general-purpose modeling language in the field of software engineering. The Unified Modeling Language includes a set of graphic notation techniques to create visual models of object-oriented software-intensive systems
Xtext
Xtext allows to define syntax, grammar. It is the basis of source coloured editor (in the platform case it is useful for the ATHENA code edition)