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Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio
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<h2 id="components">Components</h2> <p>RDS has four main components: </p> <ul><li>Concurrency and Coordination Runtime (CCR)</li> <li>Decentralized Software Services (DSS)</li> <li>Visual Programming Language (VPL)</li> <li>Visual Simulation Environment (VSE)</li></ul> <p>CCR and DSS are also available separately for use in commercial applications that require a high level of concurrency and/or must be distributed across multiple nodes in a network. This package is called the CCR and DSS Toolkit. </p> <h2 id="tools">Tools</h2> <p>The tools that allow developing an MRDS application contain a graphical environment (Microsoft Visual Programming Language (VPL)) command line tools allow working with Visual Studio projects (VS Express version is enough) in C#, and 3D simulation tools. </p> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Microsoft_Visual_Programming_Language/CwsyvH2d">Visual Programming Language</a> is a graphical development environment that uses a service and activity catalog. <ul><li>They can interact graphically, a service or an activity is represented by a block that has inputs and outputs that need only be dragged from the catalog to a diagram.</li> <li>Linking can be done with the mouse, it allows defining if signals are simultaneous or not, allows performing operations on transmitted values.</li> <li>VPL also allows generating the code of new "macro" services from diagrams created by users.</li> <li>In VPL, it is possible to easily customize services for different hardware elements.</li></ul></li> <li>RDS 3D simulation environment allows simulating the behavior of robots in a virtual world using NVIDIA PhysX technology (3D engine originally written by Ageia) that includes advanced physics.</li></ul> <ul><li>There are several simulation environments in RDS. These environments were developed by SimplySim <ul><li>Apartment</li> <li>Factory</li> <li>Modern House</li> <li>Outdoor</li> <li>Urban</li></ul></li> <li>Many examples and tutorials are available for the different tools, which permits a fast understanding of MRDS. Several applications have been added to the suite, such as Maze Simulator, or Soccer Simulation which is developed by <a href="/facts/Microsoft/nGIDDXdx">Microsoft</a>.</li> <li>The <a href="/facts/Kinect/dD5P9XDW">Kinect</a> sensor can be used on a robot in the RDS environment. RDS also includes a simulated Kinect sensor. The Kinect Services for RDS are licensed for both commercial and non-commercial use. They depend on the Kinect for Windows SDK.</li></ul> <h2 id="notable-applications">Notable applications</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Princeton_University/n3EPGHBM">Princeton University</a>'s <a href="/facts/DARPA_Grand_Challenge/qfSRSYBa">DARPA Urban Grand Challenge</a> <a href="/facts/Autonomous_car/KXeFywXS">autonomous car</a> entry was programmed with MRDS.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/MySpace/dES860Ro">MySpace</a> uses MRDS's <a href="/facts/Parallel_computing/nQzcpzQt">parallel computing</a> foundation libraries, CCR and DSS, for a non-robotic application in the back end of their site.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Indiana_University/TELCwWYK">Indiana University</a> uses MRDS in a non-robotic application to coordinate a high-performance computing network.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a></li> <li>In 2008 <a href="/facts/Microsoft/nGIDDXdx">Microsoft</a> launched a simulated <a href="/facts/Robotics/wkmvodJz">robotics</a> competition named RoboChamps using MRDS, four challenges were available: maze, sumo, urban, and Mars rover. the simulated environment and robots used by the competition were created by SimplySim and the competition was sponsored by <a href="/facts/Kia/XIQ6Io8z">Kia</a> Motors</li> <li>The 2009 <a href="/facts/Robotics/wkmvodJz">robotics</a> and <a href="/facts/Algorithm/fnl5NmRt">algorithm</a> section of the <a href="/facts/Imagine_Cup/DGsLTMIM">Imagine Cup</a> <a href="/facts/Software/RP79lVSW">software</a> competition uses MRDS visual simulation environment. The challenges of this competition were also developed by SimplySim and are improved versions of the RoboChamps challenges.</li></ul> <h2 id="critique">Critique</h2> <ul><li>The complication and overhead required to run MRDS prompted Princeton Autonomous Vehicle Engineering to convert their Prospect 12 system from MRDS to IPC++.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a></li> <li>The main RDS4 website was last updated on 2012-06-29. (In fact, the product no longer exists).</li></ul> <h2 id="microsoft-robotics-and-the-future">Microsoft Robotics and the future</h2> <p>Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio has not been updated or patched since version 4.0, which was released on March 8, 2012. On September 22, 2014, as part of Microsoft's <a href="/facts/Restructuring/MFt5xck1">restructuring</a> plan, the Robotics division of Microsoft Research was suspended, according to a tweet from Ashley Feniello, a principal developer at Microsoft Robotics division of Microsoft Research (MSR). It is now highly unlikely that MRDS will ever be updated again, however forum members (MVPs) may still offer limited support.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Player_Project/tgnncxxN">Player Project</a> – used in research and post-secondary education (<a href="/facts/Open-source_software/HzTaB8E9">open source</a> and <a href="/facts/Free_software/IaoVtJXn">free</a>)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Webots/JVrGabF4">Webots</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Project_Chrono/MczEbkvj">Project Chrono</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Concurrency_and_Coordination_Runtime/SuNKutIl">Concurrency and Coordination Runtime</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/URBI/TKK9EDsD">URBI</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Robotic_mapping/W9jnGGKe">Robotic mapping</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Robot_software/QeEHnEtc">Robot software</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Mobile_Robot_Programming_Toolkit/gPAaRXsW">Mobile Robot Programming Toolkit</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Arduino/Ah1eKzyS">Arduino</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Robot_Operating_System/vWQLMAbT">Robot Operating System</a> (ROS)</li></ul> <h2 id="further-reading">Further reading</h2> <ul><li>Morgan, Sarah (2008). <i>Programming Microsoft Robotics Studio</i>. <a href="/facts/Microsoft_Press/5bNASSu4">Microsoft Press</a>. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-0-7356-2432-0.</li> <li>Johns, Kyle; Taylor, Trevor (2008). <i>Professional Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio</i>. <a href="/facts/John_Wiley_%2526_Sons/53g3LqJc">John Wiley & Sons</a>. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-0-470-14107-6.</li> <li>Kang, Shih-Chung; Chang, Wei-Tze; Gu, Kai-Yuan; Chi, Hung-Lin (2011). <i>Robot Development Using Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio</i>. Chapman and Hall/CRC Press. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-1-4398-2165-7.</li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="http://www.microsoft.com/robotics">Official website</a></li> <li><a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/robotics/">Microsoft MSDN robotics pages</a></li> <li><a href="http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb483024.aspx">Microsoft Robotics Studio: An Introduction</a></li> <li><a href="http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb483056.aspx">Microsoft Robotics Studio Runtime – An Introduction</a></li> <li><a href="http://mrdssamples.codeplex.com/">MRDS Codeplex Samples</a> (MRDS 2008 R3)</li> <li><a href="http://promrds.codeplex.com/">Additional Samples from Professional Robotics Developer Studio textbook</a> (MRDS 2008 R3)</li> <li><a href="http://www.roboticsnedir.com">Microsoft Robotics Studio Community – Turkey</a></li> <li><a href="https://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.msroboticsstudio/topics">Microsoft robotics newsgroup from Google Groups</a></li> <li><a href="http://channel9.msdn.com/wiki/default.aspx/Channel9.MSRoboticsStudio">Channel9 wiki page about Microsoft Robotics Studio</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20070922084213/http://www.conscious-robots.com/en/robotics-studio/index.php">www.Conscious-Robots.com pages for Microsoft Robotics Studio (MSRS)</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.ageia.com/">PhysX by Ageia Home</a></li> <li>Robubox's MSRS tutorials and simulator samples <a href="http://www.robubox.com">Official Website</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20071123112403/http://simplysim.net/">SimplySim: MRDS 3D simulation company</a></li> <li><a href="http://imaginecup.com/Competition/mycompetitionportal.aspx?competitionId=22">Imagine Cup 2009: Robotics & Algorithm</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"Technical Paper for the Darpa Challenge" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-03-31. Retrieved 2011-02-03. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100331052411/http://www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge/TechPapers/Princeton_University.pdf" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20100331052411/http://www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge/TechPapers/Princeton_University.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Worthington, David (August 1, 2008). "Microsoft's shift to parallel computing". SDTimes on the Web. Archived from the original on 2009-07-15. Retrieved 2008-08-02. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090715061245/http://www.sdtimes.com/MICROSOFT_S_SHIFT_TO_PARALLEL_COMPUTING/About_CLOUDCOMPUTING_and_MULTICORE_and_MICROSOFT/32651" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20090715061245/http://www.sdtimes.com/MICROSOFT_S_SHIFT_TO_PARALLEL_COMPUTING/About_CLOUDCOMPUTING_and_MULTICORE_and_MICROSOFT/32651</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Worthington, David (August 1, 2008). "Microsoft's shift to parallel computing". SDTimes on the Web. Archived from the original on 2009-07-15. Retrieved 2008-08-02. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090715061245/http://www.sdtimes.com/MICROSOFT_S_SHIFT_TO_PARALLEL_COMPUTING/About_CLOUDCOMPUTING_and_MULTICORE_and_MICROSOFT/32651" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20090715061245/http://www.sdtimes.com/MICROSOFT_S_SHIFT_TO_PARALLEL_COMPUTING/About_CLOUDCOMPUTING_and_MULTICORE_and_MICROSOFT/32651</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>"Princeton Autonomous Vehicle Engineering -Section Software". Pave.mycpanel.princeton.edu. Retrieved 2019-04-08. <a href="http://pave.mycpanel.princeton.edu/wp/?page_id=142" target="_blank">http://pave.mycpanel.princeton.edu/wp/?page_id=142</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Feniello, Ashley (20 September 2014). "Sadly, the Microsoft robotics team has been shut down. My card key stops working tomorrow afternoon... :-/". Twitter. Retrieved 2016-01-20. <a href="https://twitter.com/AshleyFen/status/513392391467048960" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/AshleyFen/status/513392391467048960</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>