Evolution of structured and robust code for telerobotic control of a seven-degree-of-freedom manipulator

An improved, structured, and modular software for simulation and real-time control of a seven-degree-of-freedom telerobotic manipulator is presented. The software is reorganized by reducing the high fan-out at the top level. The parts connected with real-time control of the manipulator are carefully structured so that the execution time of these portions of the software is unaffected. The portions that are not directly connected with real-time control are thoroughly restructured. Information hiding is built up throughout the modules.

Inadvertent errors on the part of the programmer may cause operational problems in real-time control of the manipulator. The module and function interfaces are therefore made more robust to avoid problems of this type. The evolved structure is simpler to understand, program, and maintain. It is also easy to test and port to a different environment.