PyBehavior - A python framework for creating soccer playing heuristics in Robocup

by
Matt Mohebbi

Is the python language an effective way to develop the high level behaviors of a robot soccer team? Robocup (an autonomous robot soccer competition) provides an interesting domain for the development of soccer playing heuristics (known as behaviors). Currently, most teams use a development model for these behaviors that requires minutes between changing the C++ code and seeing the results on the robot. Due to the noise inherent in the sensor data, creating these programs is a difficult task that requires a lot of tuning. Thus any reduction in the time to code realization is very beneficial. I am investigating the use of the python scripting language to reduce this delay. In this talk, I will discuss the process of creating a python framework for Robocup. I will cover the following major steps involved in the process. First, porting the python interpreter to Aperios, Sony's real-time operating system for the AIBO robot. Second, configuring a system to automatically wrap pre-existing C++ classes to make them available in python. Third, implementing software to efficiently exchange data between C++ and python. The framework was used by the robotics capstone course winter quarter 2004 and is currently in use by our team for the development of the software that will be used in the 2004 international competition.

Advised by Dieter Fox

EE1 037
Wednesday
May 26, 2004
4:30 - 5:20 pm