Robotic Design Choice Overview Using Co-Simulation and Design Space Exploration

Rapid robotic system development has created a demand for multi-disciplinary methods and tools to explore and compare design alternatives. In this paper, we present a collaborative modeling technique that combines discrete-event models of controller software with continuous-time models of physical robot components. The proposed co-modeling method utilizes the Vienna development method (VDM) and MATLAB for discrete-event modeling and 20-sim for continuous-time modeling. The model-based development of a mobile robot mink feeding system is used to illustrate the collaborative modeling method. Simulations are used to evaluate the robot model output response in relation to operational demands. An example of a load-carrying challenge in relation to the feeding robot is presented, and a design space is defined with candidate solutions in both the mechanical and software domains. Simulation results are analyzed using design space exploration (DSE), which evaluates candidate solutions in relation to preselected optimization criteria. The result of the analysis provides developers with an overview of the impacts of each candidate solution in the chosen design space. Based on this overview of solution impacts, the developers can select viable candidates for deployment and testing with the actual robot.