Towards competitive commercial autonomous robots: The configuration problem

This article presents a framework for configuring the individual components used in component based robot control systems. Using smart parameters that adapt to the respective robot system makes it possible to obtain optimal parameter values while reusing the software components, without expert knowledge about the underlying algorithms. The framework also makes it possible for the robot to autonomously calibrate itself, resulting in higher stability of the robot and less development time required. The work is a result of an industrial research project aimed at lowering development costs and improving robustness of autonomous robot applications.