This document discusses using Data Distribution Service (DDS) middleware to address the complex communication challenges of connecting robotic systems and the Internet of Things. DDS provides a standardized communication infrastructure that enables reliable, scalable, and secure data distribution across heterogeneous systems. Examples are given of DDS being used for distributed robotics at NASA, medical device integration, smart grid systems, and more. DDS simplifies development, reduces costs, and improves flexibility, maintainability and reuse for connected systems involving robots, sensors and other devices.

1. Apr 2016
Managing the Robotics
Organization with Robotics
IoT Technologies
April 2016

2. “Building 1,000 robots is hard. Getting 1,000 robots
to work together reliably is, how they’d say it in
Boston? Wicked hard.” *
2
Robotics IoT
* James McLurkin, director of the Multi-Robot
Systems Lab at Rice University, as quoted
by the Boston Globe 2014

3. 3
Robotics IoT
Internet of Things (IoT):
Connected consumer devices
.
Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
An internet of things, machines, computers
and people…
enabling intelligent industrial operations….
Robotics Internet of Things (RIoT)
A internet of things, robotic machines,
computers, and people.

4. 4
Goals for Robotics IoT
 Enhanced Applications
 Protection of Human Life
 Increased Revenue

5.  Complex Distributed Communications
 More interacting components
 Combination of real-time monitoring, control and non real-time data
collection
 Scalability
 Design for 1 Robot, 10 Robots, 100 Robots, 1000+
 Continuing to meet performance requirements
 Security
 Must be high quality
 Must be pervasive
 Maintenance
 Iterative Upgrades, Replacements
 Dynamic Deployments
 Components may change based on deployment scenario
5
What makes scaling from 1
to 1000+ robots hard?

6.  Data Distribution Service Middleware Technologies
 CoreDX DDS product line: leading small-footprint DDS
 Open Standards Compliant
 High Performance, Robust, Scalable, Secure Communications
Infrastructure
 Highly experienced executive and technical teams
 Embedded Systems
 Complex Deployments
Twin Oaks Computing:
Practical Middleware Expertise
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 Autonomous systems
▪ Systems spanning Earth, Space, Moon
▪ Systems with real-time feedback loops
▪ Systems with 1,000’s of components, and Gbps
throughput requirements
 Headquartered in Colorado, USA
 Global Sales and Support Coverage

7.  DDS is a Communications Middleware
 Eases development and deployment of
Distributed Applications
 Insulates Application from Communication Details
 Robust, Scalable, Low latency
 Advanced, Configurable Security
What is DDS?
Publisher
Subscriber
Subscriber
Subscriber
Publisher
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8.  DDS makes your system flexible
 Standardized interfaces guarantee portability and
interoperability
 Components can be on the same machine or
across a network
 DDS makes your system maintainable
 Easily add and remove components
 Easily handle changing communication
requirements
 DDS reduces required development effort
 Powerful communication features and
configurability
 Common, easy-to-use API
 DDS reduces risk and time-to-market
 Standardized technology handles all
communication requirements
 Application developers focus on industry and
mission specific functionality
Why use DDS?
CoreDX DDS
Operating
System
HARDWARE
Application
Operating
System
HARDWARE
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9.  DDS is used in a wide range of Industries:
 Aerospace & Defense
 Consumer Electronics
 Energy Solutions / Smart Grid
 Financial
 Healthcare
 Home Automation / Smart Home
 Scientific Research
 Simulation
 Space Exploration
 Transportation
 Unmanned Vehicles
Who uses DDS?
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10.  Data Distribution Service from the Object Management Group
 Fully Standardized
▪ Standardized API
▪ Standardized Quality of Service Coverage
▪ Standardized Wire Protocol
▪ Standardized Data Representation
▪ Standardized, end-to-end Security
 Vibrant Community
▪ Multiple Vendors with Compliant Implementations
▪ User Community across DoD, commercial, and research domains
▪ Active standards evolve with current technologies and user requirements
 Viable, proven, and in use throughout a wide variety of industries and
domains
 Millions of deployed instances
DDS:
A Unique Standard

11.  DCS Corp: TARDEC unmanned vehicles
 Medical surgical and hospital monitoring
devices
 Smarter Grid Solutions: Advanced energy
grids
 NASA: Robots in Space
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Example Applications

12. DCS Corp DDS Use:
US Army TARDEC Project
 Tank Automotive Research Development and
Engineering Command (TARDEC)
 DDS for communication to and among displays
 User Interactions
 Events
 Sensor Data
 Status Information
 Combination of Windows and
Linux based displays
 New requirement: Android phone
and tablet displays

13.  DCS Corp Selected DDS – Why?
 Simplify Development to Reduce Engineering Costs
▪ Common API across all Operating Systems and Hardware
Platforms
▪ Read/write advanced data types (no need to manually
translate or serialize data in application code)
▪ Powerful set of communication options and features available
 Increase Flexibility to Reduce Maintenance Costs
▪ No need to configure (or re-configure) communication end
points
▪ Software can migrate to different computers
▪ Components can be added / removed
DCS Corp DDS Use:
Benefits of using DDS

14. DCS Corp DDS Use:
Standardized Technology Benefits
Standardization == Easy, Low Cost Solution
 New Feature Enhancement:
 Migrate existing HMI capability to Android Tablet & Smartphone
Displays
 DDS Standards
provide
PORTABILITY and
REUSE
 Exiting C++ code
base can be
migrated and reused

15.  Communication Requirements:
 Components on FPGA’s (embedded RTOS), Atoms
(Embedded Linux), Desktop (Windows), Tablets
(Android, iOS)
 Networks: directly connected wired Ethernet, local
area WiFi, Internet
 Very low latency requirements, secure
communication requirements, over different networks
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DDS Protocol Case Study:
Medical Device Domain
 Additional benefits provided by DDS:
 Code reuse among devices
 Common API for sending and receiving data between distributed device
components
 Flexible architecture: ability to move software components to different
devices late in the development cycle without schedule impacts
 Ability to quickly and easily create test programs and emulators to
emulate hardware components not yet available to developers (buttons,
switches, lights on medical device)

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DDS Protocol Case Study:
Medical Device Domain
 Devices dynamicaly
added/removed
 Device configuration stored at
Hospital Manager, pushed to
Devices
 Devices report patient health to
Nurse Monitoring Station
Mobile Technician
updates firmware
Central Management collects device stats
for failure prediction/maintenance

17.  Add SGS Example
17
Smarter Grid Solutions:
Emerging Energy Grid Systems

18. Smarter Grid Solutions:
Emerging Energy Grid Systems
 Goals:
 Capture greater value from electricity distribution grids
▪ Only 50% of the typical distribution system is monitored
 Improve return on investment
 Increase Distributed Energy Resources (DER) and customer satisfaction
 Plans:
 Mission critical automation and control platform
▪ enable continuous operation of the grid closer to design limits, safely
 Interface with grid edge devices
▪ Increase DER hosting capacity and enhance load relief programs
 Configurable applications
▪ Provide flexibility to adapt to regional differences
 Security
▪ Smart processing throughout the grid means greater risk for cyber attack

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DOMAIN B
DDS PARTITION
(Communications &
Control)
DDS PARTITION
(DER Device & Network
STATUS) DDS PARTITION
(Technology Health/
Watchdog Status)
DDS PARTITION
(DER Discovery &
Registration)
AVC
DERMS Functional Modules
Thermal Constraint
Management
Battery
System
-+
DER Asset
Population
SoC Management
Resource Pooling
SMART Inverter
Control
Network Connectivity
Processor
DER Dispatch
Market Integration
Operational
Systems Adapter
Enterprise Systems
Adapter
Field Device Gateway
DER Discovery/
Registration
Real-Time Grid
Constraint Processor
Customer Portal Market Data Portal
♦ Combines proven
technologies with
emerging standards
♦ Existing Power System
Algorithms overlaid on
new platform
♦ Enablement of
Distributed Control over
wide geographic areas
♦ Leverages DDS GDS,
to segregate
Operational Data
♦ ‘Bridge’ data to other
Operational Systems
and Enterprise
Applications using SOA
Smarter Grid Solutions:
Emerging Energy Grid Systems

20.  Space Exploration Communication Challenges
 Extremely high latency communication links
 Dynamic and Flexible remote control and monitoring
 Specialized embedded platforms
 Robust: Communications infrastructure must not fail
NASA and DDS
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21.  Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen
and Lunar Volatile Extraction (RESOLVE)
NASA RESOLVE Project:
Looking for water on the Moon
 Mini Chemistry Plant mounted on a lunar
rover
 Science components
▪ Drill and collect soil (1 meter core)
▪ Heat, separate, and analyze components
▪ Store water and oxygen found
 Communication components
▪ IPC between onboard devices and processors
▪ Command, control, status
▪ Results of science experiments
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22. NASA RESOLVE Project
Communication Requirements
CoreDX DDS
Earth to Lunar link
Rover control
Sensor data
CoreDX DDS
Control Center Network
Multiple Locations, USA, Canada
CoreDX DDS
Rover Internal IPC
Multiple devices
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23. NASA RESOLVE Project
Architecture
GC-MS
LAVA
OVEN
Gateway
xGDS/MSK/
LV stations
LV Cmd
stations
1->n
3
HP Control Center
Drill
Cameras
(3)
NS
Near-IR
IIU (Q6
µBlaze)
RCU (Q6
µBlaze)
Avionics
DAU/PDU
CAN bus
RS-232
RS-422
CAN bus
RS-485
RESOLVE Payload
LV Cmd
stations
LV Cmd
stations
LV Cmd
stations
KSC
JSC
CSA
LV Mon
stations
ARC
IPC DDS
GC-MS
station
Control Center DDS
VNCGRD
DDS
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24.  Dynamic Publish-Subscribe Architecture
 Real-time, Reliable Communications over disparate network
mediums
 Earth-Moon, LAN, VPN
 Standardized API across heterogeneous and deeply
embedded computing devices
 Windows, Linux, PPC, FPGAs
 Data Communication Features available across all platforms
(even FPGAs)
 High performance communications
 Automatic discovery and configuration of endpoints
 Interoperability
 Different agencies can command the Rover using their chosen DDS
implementation.
NASA RESOLVE Project:
Benefits of Using CoreDX DDS
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25. NASA SPHERES Project:
Free Flying Robots
 Remotely operated assistants
for Astronauts in space
 Test algorithms related to free
flying satellites
 Positioning and collision
avoidance
 Fuel balancing
 Re-targeting, image plane
filling maneuvers
 Geometry estimators
 Bowling Ball sized ‘droids’
 Free-flying with Power,
Guidance, Computing, and
Navigation
 Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental
Satellites (SPHERES)
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26.  Recently added Android-based
Smartphone to SPHERES
 New Capability Goals
 Remote control SPHERES from within
the ISS or from the Earth (Johnson
Space Center)
 Collect images and video and
distribute to Earth
 Expand robotics operations using
Smartphone computing power
NASA SPHERES Project:
Communication Requirements
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27.  Real-time, Reliable Communications over
disparate network mediums
 Earth-Space, LAN
 Long-term reuse potential
 Comprehensive and flexible communication features
allow for reuse
▪ Multiple programs with disparate requirements
▪ Evolving requirements on long-life programs
 Migration and Interoperability between different
computing platforms
▪ Android phones
▪ Windows, Linux desktop computers
NASA SPHERES Project:
Benefits of Using CoreDX DDS
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28.  Connected robotics systems have complex
communication requirements:
 Where do I get my data?
 How often?
 What happens if you don’t send it? Or if I don’t receive it?
 How time sensitive is my data?
 How much data do I need to store for future use?
 How do I select (filter) only the data I need to receive?
 How do I secure my data and my communications?
Summary
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DDS addresses complex communication
challenges of tomorrow’s connected systems

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Questions?
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