Background

As robotics technology advances rapidly, manufacturers are introducing robots with unique protocols and interfaces. These robots frequently rely on proprietary communication methods, complicating the integration and management of multiple robot brands within a single system. This integration process is often time-consuming, expensive, and hindered by the lack of standardization, leading to interoperability issues that reduce productivity and efficiency. To address these challenges, Mintrobot developed "TERMINAL" — The Easiest Robotics Middleware IN A Lifetime.

What is the

Robot Middleware?

Robot middleware integrates and manages the diverse control interfaces of robots from different manufacturers. It streamlines the handling of various protocols, allowing users to seamlessly control multiple robots through a unified platform.

Diverse Protocols by Manufacturers :

Every robot uses its own protocol to interact with external systems.

These protocols are not standardized, with manufacturers using different communication methods and data structures, making it highly complex to integrate and control multiple robots within a single system.

Individually implementing these protocols is technically challenging and requires extensive maintenance, leading to significant time and cost inefficiencies.

Providing a Consistent Interface :

Robot middleware organizes control functions and provides a unified protocol, enabling seamless integration and consistent operation of multiple robots within a single system.

Users can utilize robot functionalities without concerning themselves with individual protocols, as the middleware simplifies communication methods and data structures.

This eliminates the need to adjust software logic for different robot types, allowing users to efficiently and flexibly manage robots from various manufacturers without being tied to a single vendor.

Why Robot Middleware is

Essential

Managing and integrating multiple robots from different manufacturers effectively demands a consistent and unified control system. Without middleware, the process can be overly complex and costly. Middleware streamlines integration, minimizes expenses, and improves scalability, making it a critical solution for efficient robot operations.

Different Protocols by Manufacturer

PC-based integrated control architecture with robot middleware

With Middleware

Without Middleware

Integration
Complexity

Simplified integration
with a unified system.

High complexity due to
different robot protocols.

Development
Costs

Lower costs with
a single protocol.

High costs from implementing
individual protocols.

Management

Easy and efficient
management.

Difficult and time-
consuming to manage.

Expansion

Scalable and
flexible expansion.

Challenging and slow
to scale the system.

Software
Maintenance

Flexible and cost-effective
software updates and maintenance.

Complex and costly
updates and maintenance.

Features

Structure of TERMINAL

Mintrobot’s middleware technology is aportable software library designed to consistently control off-the-shelf,customized, and simulated robots. The key structural features of thistechnology are as follows:

Interface Layer

RPC Protocol Server

Provides a standard network interface based on the RPC (Remote Procedure Call) protocol, allowing users to access the TERMINAL library over a network.

Frontend (GUI) Web Server

Provides a user-friendly interface, enabling users to easily control robots through a web-based GUI.

Core Layer
(Control Interface Layer)

The core layer is the heart of TERMINAL, performing efficient computations for robot control with in-memory processing and minimized communication delays. It ensures fast and consistent operation of TERMINAL's control functions. The core layer consists of the following key components:

Communication Library

Retrieves hardware-dependent information required by the control function library by interfacing with products from various robot manufacturers.

Control Function Library

Includes libraries for essential robot functionalities such as motion control, SLAM, and navigation. It features standardized APIs for each functionality and implements these functions. Hardware-dependent information required for function execution is obtained from the communication library.

Benefits of TERMINAL

TERMINAL offers several significantbenefits for managing and controlling various robotic systems. Below are thekey advantages provided by TERMINAL:

Consistent and Independence

Consistent Control API

TERMINAL uses class abstraction technology to organize robot control APIs by functionality. This approach ensures a unified and streamlined interface, allowing users to manage robot control functions consistently across different applications.

Hardware Independence

Through dedicated implementation classes, TERMINAL enables users to implement individual robot functions without reliance on specific hardware. This eliminates the need for frequent adjustments, reduces errors, and enhances the overall reliability of the system.

Scalability and Reliability

Networking-Based Scalability

TERMINAL's network-based middleware, leveraging the TCP/IP protocol, facilitates fast and seamless communication between devices. This ensures easy integration and expansion with other ICT solutions, such as cloud computing, IoT, smart factories, and AI agents, without significant interruptions.

Enhanced Security with Unreliable Networks

When controlling robot products with unreliable network connections through TERMINAL, the risks of backdoors or information leaks are significantly reduced.