Coupled-Layer Architecture for Advanced Software for Robots

The title "Coupled Layer Architecture for Robotics Autonomy" (CLARATy) refers to a software architecture for robots that has been proposed to (1) improve the modularity of robotic-system software while (2) tightening the coupling between autonomy and control software subsystems. Whereas prior robotic architectures have typically been characterized by three layers, the CLARATy is characterized by only two layers. The CLARATy provides for interaction of decision-making and functional infrastructures at all levels of system granularity. This architecture is flexible enough to encompass research and application domains, and provides for an explicit coupling of artificial-intelligence and robotics techniques. The architecture is also implemented in an object-oriented fashion that makes it possible to leverage software design through both inheritance and aggregation, thereby eliminating the need for duplication of effort in the development of new software.