Microsoft Robotics Studio: A Robot in Every Home and Business

 

Group 5

 

Ciera Brown, Jacob Hall, Tyeisha McDaniel, and Stacy Thompson

 

Key Words: Microsoft, Robotics, Visual Programming Tool, Robots

 

Microsoft Robotics Studio is a new Windows-based development environment for creating robotic software for a wide variety of hardware platforms, applicable to a wide variety of users. It is designed for hobbyists, students or commercial developers, who have had to start from scratch each time they use different hardware to build a robot. Some of MSRS’s key features and benefits are a scalable, extensible platform which enables users to transfer their learning skills across other platforms, a visual programming tool that makes it easier to create and debug robot applications, and a lightweight services-oriented runtime that makes asynchronous application development simple. The new software tools aims to give developers a simpler way to design robots and to create and test programs that operate a wide range of machines-from toys to floor sweepers to those used in factory production lines.

 

 

MSRS was introduced at the RoboBusiness conference in December of 2006.Tandy Trower, General Manager for Microsoft robotics Group, says “With component hardware costs coming down and computational capabilities increasing, the robotics industry appears to have the right conditions to really grow.” Trower estimates robotics to skyrocket into a multi-billion dollar industry in the next 5 to 10 years. He added that the new software is meant to bootstrap the robotics industry much in the way that Microsoft’s operating system helped get the personal computer industry growing.

 

 

The MSRS programming model can be applied for a lot of different robot hardware platforms. This allows people from different areas in the robotics field to be able to communicate their knowledge and learning skills among each other despite their geographic locations. Third-parties can also extend the functionality of the platform by providing additional libraries and services. Both PC-based and robot-based executions can be developed using a selection of programming languages. Some of these programming languages include Microsoft Visual Studio, Jscript, and Microsoft Iron Python.

 

 

MS Robotics Studio enables developers to create modular services for hardware and software, allowing users to interact with their robots through Web-based or Windows-based interfaces. It includes a visual programming tool that makes it easier to create robot applications. Developers can also simulate robotic applications using realistic 3D models. AGEIA, a pioneer in hardware-accelerated physics, and Microsoft came to a license agreement for the PhysX engine. This engine enables real-world physics simulations with robot models.

 

 

MSRS provides a lightweight services-oriented runtime. It uses a .NET-based concurrency library. The architecture is services and messages-based. This makes it simple to access the state of a robot’s sensors and actuators using a web browser. The model enables building high-level functions using simple components and providing the reusability of code modules. It also provides better reliability and can be replaced easily.

 

 

Making robotics simpler is not something that Microsoft could have accomplished without the support from major hardware vendors. The company, realizing this early, partnered with a whole host of firms. Some of these firms include KUKA Robot Group, Robosoft, and LEGO, as well as Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University. Bernd Liepart, CEO of KUKA Robot Group says, “With the introduction of the Robotics Studio, we see the possibilities for enabling completely new business scenarios in new market segments and for new products on our current markets.” This could mean that it would be cheaper and less time-consuming for factory production lines create robots that would eventually bring lower prices to consumers. MSRS is available free of charge for personal and academic use. For commercial applications, the product starts at just $399 per developer.

 

 

The robotics industry is a growing one. Microsoft has made it that much easier for the development of robotics across a wide range of businesses. Tandy Trower said that the project was started as a direct response to encouragement from members of the robotics community. They wanted something that would make creating robotics applications accessible to a wider audience. They also wanted to address some of the challenges in terms of good tools and transferability of skills and software across the diversity of hardware that’s out there. Microsoft Robotics Studio has nurtured the creativity that will bring forth the technologies and applications that will drive the robotics industry to the successful potential that Trower expects.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

 

Windowsfordevices. (June 2006). Microsoft previews robotics development platform.

Retrieved February 8, 2007 from http://www.windowsfordevices.com/news/NS4520118601.html

 

Anderson, Nate. (June 2006). Microsoft does the Robot. Retrieved February 8, 2007 from http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060620-7088.html

 

Msdn2.Microsoft. (n.d.). Microsoft Robotics Studio: An Introduction. Retrieved February 8, 2007 from http://msdn.microsoft.com/robotics/getstarted/overview/default.aspx

 

Trower, Tandy. (n.d.). Welcome to the Microsoft Robotics Studio( 1.0). Retrieved February 8, 2007 from http://msdn.microsoft.com/robotics/getstarted/v1_0/default.aspx

 

Ciol. (June 2006). Microsoft Sees Future in Robots. Retrieved February 9, 2007 from http://www.ciol.com/content/news/Products/2006/106062201.asp

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Questions about Microsoft Robotics Studio: A Robot in Every Home or Business (Group 5)

 

 

  1. Who is the General Manager of the Microsoft Robotics Group?

A.     Bill Gates                                    B.     Tandy Trower

C.     George Bush                               D.      Peppermint Patty

 

  1. What are the benefits of MS Robotics Studio?

A.     Scalable, extensible platform     B.      Visual Programming Tool

C.     Services-oriented runtime          D.       All of the above

 

 

  1. What business is currently partnered with MS Robotics Studio?

A.     Fisher-Price                                 B.      Disney

C.     LEGO                                          D.      Mattel

 

 

  1. MSRS stands for:

A.     Microsoft Robotics Studio          B.     Microsoft Random Systems

B.     Microsoft Rebel Souls                 D.     Microsoft Robots Sanctuary

 

 

  1. The cost of Microsoft Robotics Studio for academics and hobbyist use is:

A.     $100                                            B.     $1,000

C.     $29.99                                         C.     $0

 

 

  1. The cost of Microsoft Robotics Studio for industry use is:

A.    $399                                            B.     $39,999

C.    $15,000                                       D.     $100,000

 

 

  1. The robotics field is estimated to be a multibillion dollar industry in:

A. 1 year                                             B. 5-10 years

C. 50 years                                          D. Not in our lifetime