NUClear: a loosely coupled software architecture for humanoid robot systems

This paper discusses the design and interface of NUClear, a new hybrid message-passing architecture for embodied humanoid robotics. NUClear is modular, has low latency, and promotes functional and expandable software design. It greatly reduces the latency for messages passed between modules as the message routes are established at compile time. It also reduces the number of functions that must be written using a system called co-messages, which aids in dealing with multiple simultaneous data. NUClear has primarily been evaluated on a humanoid robotic soccer platform and on a robotic boat platform. Evaluations show that NUClear requires fewer callbacks and cache variables over existing message-passing architectures. NUClear does have limitations when applying these techniques on multi-processed systems. It performs best in lower power systems where computational resources are limited. This article aims at readers with interest in modern software engineering concepts and development of systems in areas such as robotics, smart devices and virtual reality.