Spark – A Generic Simulator for Physical Multi-agent Simulations
29 Sep 2004-pp 243-257
TL;DR: A new multi-agent simulation system, called Spark, for physical agents in three-dimensional environments, which implemented a flexible application framework and exhausted the idea of replaceable components in the resulting system.
Abstract: In this paper we describe a new multi-agent simulation system, called Spark, for physical agents in three-dimensional environments. Our goal in creating Spark was to provide a great amount of flexibility for creating new types of agents and simulations. To achieve this, we implemented a flexible application framework and exhausted the idea of replaceable components in the resulting system. In comparison to specialized simulators, users can effortlessly create new simulations by using a scene description language. Spark is a powerful and flexible tool to state different multi-agent research questions. It is used as official simulator for the first three-dimensional RoboCup Simulation League competition. We present the concepts we used to achieve the flexibility in our system and show how we seamlessly integrated the different subsystems into one user-friendly framework.
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15 Nov 2010
TL;DR: Extensions to ODE that address shortcomings each of which adversely affect robot simulation are described, showing that speed improvements can be gained along with useful joint-dampening in both elementary physics and robotic task-based scenarios.
Abstract: Open Dynamics Engine (ODE) is the most popular rigidbody dynamics implementation for robotics simulation applications. While using it to simulate common robotic scenarios like mobile robot locomotion and simple grasping, we have identified the following shortcomings each of which adversely affect robot simulation: lack of computational efficiency, poor support for practical joint-dampening, inadequate solver robustness, and friction approximation via linearization. In this paper we describe extensions to ODE that address each of these problems. Because some of these objectives lie in opposition to others--e.g., speed versus verisimilitude--we have carried out experiments in order to identify the trade-offs involved in selecting from our extensions. Results from both elementary physics and robotic task-based scenarios show that speed improvements can be gained along with useful joint-dampening. If one is willing to accept an execution time cost, we are able to represent the full-friction cone, while simultaneously guaranteeing a solution from our numerical solver.
82 citations
Cites methods from "Spark – A Generic Simulator for Phy..."
...Several simulators intended specifically for simulating RoboCup soccer make use of ODE, including SPARK [26], SimRobot [19], UchilSim [33], and ÜberSim [7]....
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...Several simulators intended specifically for simulating RoboCup soccer make use of ODE, including SPARK [26], SimRobot [19], UchilSim [33], and ÜberSim [7]....
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01 Jan 2006
TL;DR: The ongoing development of the 3D simulator which is being extended to simulate a real humanoid robot and an insight into the current behavior development framework of the Humanoid League team Senchans is given.
Abstract: This paper presents the current efforts and ideas of members in the RoboCup Simulation and the Humanoid Leagues to take successful concepts from both environments and extend them in ways so that each league can profit from the results. We describe the ongoing development of the 3D simulator which is being extended to simulate a real humanoid robot. At the same time, we give an insight into the current behavior development framework of the Humanoid League team Senchans which makes heavy use of techniques which have been successfully used in the Simulation League before. Furthermore, we give some suggestions for a collaboration between the different leagues in the RoboCup from which all the participants could benefit.
48 citations
TL;DR: DeST 3.0 as discussed by the authors , a new generation building performance simulation platform, was developed and released, which includes four simulation engines, including building analysis and simulation (BAS), HVAC system engine, combined plant simulation (CPS) engine, and energy system (ES) engine.
Abstract: Buildings contribute to almost 30% of total energy consumption worldwide. Developing building energy modeling programs is of great significance for lifecycle building performance assessment and optimization. Advances in novel building technologies, the requirements of high-performance computation, and the demands for multi-objective models have brought new challenges for building energy modeling software and platforms. To meet the increasing simulation demands, DeST 3.0, a new-generation building performance simulation platform, was developed and released. The structure of DeST 3.0 incorporates four simulation engines, including building analysis and simulation (BAS) engine, HVAC system engine, combined plant simulation (CPS) engine, and energy system (ES) engine, connected by air loop and water loop balancing iterations. DeST 3.0 offers numerous new simulation features, such as advanced simulation modules for building envelopes, occupant behavior and energy systems, cross-platform and compatible simulation kernel, FMI/FMU-based co-simulation functionalities, and high-performance parallel simulation architecture. DeST 3.0 has been thoroughly evaluated and validated using code verification, inter-program comparison, and case-study calibration. DeST 3.0 has been applied in various aspects throughout the building lifecycle, supporting building design, operation, retrofit analysis, code appliance, technology adaptability evaluation as well as research and education. The new generation building simulation platform DeST 3.0 provides an efficient tool and comprehensive simulation platform for lifecycle building performance analysis and optimization.
36 citations
05 Jun 2009
TL;DR: GAs proved to be a powerful method for automatic generation of humanoid behaviors resulting on a walk forward velocity of 0.51m/s which is a good result considering the results of the three best teams of RoboCup 3D simulation league for the same movement.
Abstract: Controlling a biped robot with several degrees of freedom is a challenging task that takes the attention of several researchers in the fields of biology, physics, electronics, computer science and mechanics. For a humanoid robot to perform in complex environments, fast, stable and adaptive behaviors are required. This paper proposes a solution for automatic generation of a walking gait using genetic algorithms (GA). A method based on partial Fourier series was developed for joint trajectory planning. GAs were then used for offline generation of the parameters that define the gait. GAs proved to be a powerful method for automatic generation of humanoid behaviors resulting on a walk forward velocity of 0.51m/s which is a good result considering the results of the three best teams of RoboCup 3D simulation league for the same movement.
35 citations
Cites methods from "Spark – A Generic Simulator for Phy..."
...This paper presents a method based on GA for developing of efficient and robust humanoid behaviors tested in a simulated version of the humanoid robot NAO [4] using the Simspark [5] simulation environment....
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...Applying these osillators to each joint, a walking gait was developed and the tests were performed with the simulated humanoid NAO in the scope of the RoboCup 3D soccer simulation league using the Simspark Simulation Environment [5]....
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01 Jan 2005
TL;DR: In this article, a top-down approach to model soccer knowledge is discussed, which can be found in soccer theory books, and the authors investigate if and how soccer theory can be formalized such that specification and execution is possible.
Abstract: The paper discusses a top-down approach to model soccer knowledge, as it can be found in soccer theory books. The goal is to model soccer strategies and tactics in a way that they are usable for multiple RoboCup soccer leagues, i.e. for different hardware platforms. We investigate if and how soccer theory can be formalized such that specification and execution is possible. The advantage is clear: theory abstracts from hardware and from specific situations in leagues. We introduce basic primitives compliant with the terminology known in soccer theory, discuss an example on an abstract level and formalize it. We then consider aspects of different RoboCup leagues in a case study and examine how examples can be instantiated in three different leagues.
34 citations
References
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Abstract: The book is an introduction to the idea of design patterns in software engineering, and a catalog of twenty-three common patterns. The nice thing is, most experienced OOP designers will find out they've known about patterns all along. It's just that they've never considered them as such, or tried to centralize the idea behind a given pattern so that it will be easily reusable.
22,762 citations
"Spark – A Generic Simulator for Phy..." refers background in this paper
...The property that each instantiated object has the knowledge which factory created it distinguishes the reflective factory pattern from the abstract factory pattern [5]....
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TL;DR: A programming system called LISP (for LISt Processor) developed for the IBM 704 computer by the Artificial Intelligence group at M.I.T. was designed to facilitate experiments with a proposed system called the Advice Taker, whereby a machine could be instructed to handle declarative as well as imperative sentences and could exhibit "common sense" in carrying out its instructions.
Abstract: A programming system called LISP (for LISt Processor) has been developed for the IBM 704 computer by the Artificial Intelligence group at M.I.T. The system was designed to facilitate experiments with a proposed system called the Advice Taker, whereby a machine could be instructed to handle declarative as well as imperative sentences and could exhibit “common sense” in carrying out its instructions. The original proposal [1] for the Advice Taker was made in November 1958. The main requirement was a programming system for manipulating expressions representing formalized declarative and imperative sentences so that the Advice Taker system could make deductions. In the course of its development the LISP system went through several stages of simplification and eventually came to be based on a scheme for representing the partial recursive functions of a certain class of symbolic expressions. This representation is independent of the IBM 704 computer, or of any other electronic computer, and it now seems expedient to expound the system by starting with the class of expressions called S-expressions and the functions called S-functions.
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TL;DR: A programming system called LISP (for LISt Processor) has been developed for the IBM 704 computer by the Artificial Intelligence group at M.I.T. as mentioned in this paper, where a machine could be instructed to handle declarative as well as imperative sentences and could exhibit "common sense" in carrying out its instructions.
Abstract: A programming system called LISP (for LISt Processor) has been developed for the IBM 704 computer by the Artificial Intelligence group at M.I.T. The system was designed to facilitate experiments with a proposed system called the Advice Taker, whereby a machine could be instructed to handle declarative as well as imperative sentences and could exhibit “common sense” in carrying out its instructions. The original proposal [1] for the Advice Taker was made in November 1958. The main requirement was a programming system for manipulating expressions representing formalized declarative and imperative sentences so that the Advice Taker system could make deductions. In the course of its development the LISP system went through several stages of simplification and eventually came to be based on a scheme for representing the partial recursive functions of a certain class of symbolic expressions. This representation is independent of the IBM 704 computer, or of any other electronic computer, and it now seems expedient to expound the system by starting with the class of expressions called S-expressions and the functions called S-functions.
632 citations
23 Nov 2000
TL;DR: This paper describes ongoing work toward the development of a standard software exchange format, for exchanging information among tools that analyze computer programs, called GXL (Graph Exchange Language), which can be viewed as a merger of well known formats.
Abstract: This paper describes ongoing work toward the development of a standard software exchange format (SEF), for exchanging information among tools that analyze computer programs. A particular exchange format called GXL (Graph Exchange Language) is proposed. GXL can be viewed as a merger of well known formats (e.g. GraX, PROGRES, RPA, RSF and TA) for exchanging typed, attributed, directed graphs. By using XML as the notation, GXL offers a scalable and adaptable means to facilitate interoperability of reengineering tools.
299 citations