Microsoft Robotics Studio

Infobox Software
name = Microsoft Robotics Studio
caption = Microsoft Robotics Studio
latest_release_version = Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio 2008 CTP July
latest_release_date = July 18, 2008
developer = Microsoft in association with the community
operating_system = Windows XP SP2, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows XP Embedded, Windows CE 5.0, Windows CE 6.0
genre = Robotics suite
license = CTP
website = [http://msdn.microsoft.com/robotics/ Official Webpage] The Microsoft Robotics Studio is a Windows-based environment for robot control and simulation. It is aimed at academic, hobbyist, and commercial developers and handles a wide variety of robot hardware.

Features include: a visual programming tool, Microsoft Visual Programming Language, for creating and debugging robot applications, web-based and windows-based interfaces, 3D simulation (including hardware acceleration), a lightweight services-oriented runtime, easy access to a robot's sensors and actuators via a .NET-based concurrent library implementation, and support for a number of languages including C# and Visual Basic .NET, JScript, and IronPython.

Microsoft Robotic Studio includes support for packages to add other services to the suite. Those currently available include Soccer Simulation and Sumo Competition by Microsoft, and a community-developed Maze Simulator, a program to create worlds with walls that can be explored by a virtual robot.

The studio ships with a simulator that uses PhysX by NVIDIA.

Notable Applications

* Princeton University's DARPA Urban Grand Challenge autonomous car entry was programmed entirely with MRDS. [ [http://pave.princeton.edu/main/urban-challenge/msrs/ Princeton Autonomous Vehicle Engineering] ]
* MySpace uses MRDS for a non-robotic application in the back end of their site. [ [http://www.sdtimes.com/MICROSOFT_S_SHIFT_TO_PARALLEL_COMPUTING/About_CLOUDCOMPUTING_and_MULTICORE_and_MICROSOFT/32651 SDTimes On The Web, Microsoft's shift to parallel computing, By David Worthington, August 1, 2008] ]
* Indiana University uses MRDS in a non-robotic application to coordinate a high-performance computing network. [ [http://www.sdtimes.com/MICROSOFT_S_SHIFT_TO_PARALLEL_COMPUTING/About_CLOUDCOMPUTING_and_MULTICORE_and_MICROSOFT/32651 SDTimes On The Web, Microsoft's shift to parallel computing, By David Worthington, August 1, 2008] ]

Versions

* The most current version is Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio 2008 CTP July

upported Robots

* Aldebaran Robotics Nao [http://www.aldebaran-robotics.com Official WebSite]
* CoroWare CoroBot [http://www.corobot.net Official Website]
* Lego Mindstorms NXT [http://mindstorms.lego.com Official Website]
* Lego Mindstorms RCX (Support dropped in latest version)
* iRobot Create
* KUKA Robotics [http://www.kuka.com/en/products/software/educational_framework/start.htm Educational Framework]
* Parallax Boe-Bot
* Robosoft's robots [http://www.robosoft.fr Official WebSite]
* Parallax Scribbler. Through IPRE.
* fischertechnik FT16
* Kondo KHR1
* Segway RMP by: [http://www.benaxelrod.com/MSRS/index.html#Segway Ben Axelrod]
* RoboticsConnection Traxster. [http://www.roboticsconnection.com/t-microsoftroboticsstudio.aspx Link]

See also

* Player Project - used in research and post-secondary education (open source and free) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Player_Project]
* Webots
* Concurrency and Coordination Runtime
* URBI
* Robotic mapping
* Robot software

References

External links

* [http://msdn.microsoft.com/robotics/ Microsoft MSDN robotics pages]
* [http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb483024.aspx Microsoft Robotics Studio: An Introduction]
* [http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb483056.aspx Microsoft Robotics Studio Runtime – An Introduction]
* [http://www.roboticsnedir.com Microsoft Robotics Studio Community - Turkey]
* [http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.msroboticsstudio/topics Microsoft robotics newsgroup from Google Groups]
* [http://channel9.msdn.com/wiki/default.aspx/Channel9.MSRoboticsStudio Channel9 wiki page about Microsoft Robotics Studio]
* [http://sky.fit.qut.edu.au/~taylort2/MRS/MazeSimulator/MazeSimulator.htm Maze Simulator official website]
* [http://www.conscious-robots.com/en/robotics-studio/index.php www.Conscious-Robots.com pages for MSRS (Microsoft Robotics Studio)]
* [http://sky.fit.qut.edu.au/~taylort2/MSRS/ Trevor Taylor's MSRS Code Page]
* [http://www.ageia.com/ PhysX by Ageia Home]
* Robubox's MSRS tutorials and simulator samples [http://www.robubox.com Official Website]