Ana Cavalcanti

Diagrammatic physical robot models in RoboSim

Abstract: Simulation is a favoured technique for analysis of robotic systems. Lack of standardisation and portability between simulators, however, has impact on usability and cost of simulations. We present RoboSim, a diagrammatic tool-independent domain-specific language to model robotic platforms and their controllers. It can be regarded as a profile of UML/SysML enriched with time primitives, differential equations, and a formal process algebraic semantics. In RoboSim, a robotic platform is specified by a block diagram, which can be linked to a data model to characterise how events, variables, and operations of the software controller map to inputs and outputs of sensors and actuators. The behaviours of inputs, outputs, and joints are specified by systems of differential algebraic equations. Simulations and mathematical models for proof can be generated automatically from RoboSim models.

Short Bio: Ana Cavalcanti is Professor of Software Verification at York and Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies working on “Software Engineering for Robotics: modelling, validation, simulation, and testing'”. She held a Royal Society-Wolfson Research Merit Award and a Royal Society Industry Fellowship to work with QinetiQ in avionics. She has chaired the Programme Committee of various well-established international conference, is on the editorial board of four international journals, and is Chair of the board of the Formal Methods Europe Association. She is, and has been, PI on several large research grants. Her current research is on theory and practice of verification and testing for robotics.