Orca: A component model and repository

• Main Authors: Brooks, Alex, Kaupp, Tobias, Makarenko, Alexei, Williams, Stefan, Orebäck, Anders
• Format: Book Part
• Language: English
• Published: 2007
• Subjects: Orca
• Online Access: https://opus4.kobv.de/opus4-fhws/frontdoor/index/index/docId/3269; https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-68951-5_13

This Chapter describes Orca: an open-source project which applies Component-Based Software Engineering principles to robotics. It provides the means for defining and implementing interfaces such that components developed independently are likely to be inter-operable. In addition it provides a repository of free re-useable components. Orca attempts to be widely applicable by imposing minimal design constraints. This Chapter describes lessons learned while using Orca and steps taken to improve the framework based on those lessons. Improvements revolve around middleware issues and the problems encountered while scaling to larger distributed systems. Results are presented from systems that were implemented.