High performance relaying of C++11 objects across processes and logic-labeled finite-state machines

Abstract

We present gusimplewhiteboard, a software architecture analogous to ROS:services and ROS: messages, that enables the construction and extremely efficient inter-process relaying of message-types as C++11 objects, All gusimplewhiteboard objects reside in shared memory. Moreover, our principle is to use idempotent message communication, in direct contrast to previously released platforms for robotic-module communication, that are based on an event-driven subscriber model that queues and multi-threads. We combine this with compiled, time-triggered, logic-labeled finite state machines (llfsms) the are executed concurrently, but scheduled sequentially, in an extremely efficient manner, removing all race conditions and requirements for explicit synchronisation. Together, these tools enable effective robotic behaviour design, where arrangements of llfsms can be organised as hierarchies of machines and submachines, enabling composition of very complex systems. They have proven to be very powerful for Model-Driven Development, capable of simulation, validation, and formal verification.