hardware. LabVIEW not only acts as an interface with the robots and as the brain of the robots, but also aids in verifying locomotion research.

Since there are many different types of robotic platforms,
a system was needed that could be easily configured
for different hardware setups. Most research using small-scale robots uses personal digital assistants (PDAs) to autonomously control the robots. By using the LabVIEW Real-Time Module on a PC104+ computer,
there is virtually no overhead and an expandable computer architecture that accommodates a range of different
sensors that a PDA cannot; IEEE 1394 cameras, RS-485 communication, multiple wireless networks, and more, are all used simultaneously. Adding a new camera or an 802.11 port, adapting drivers and writing code in C or C++ would 

take much longer than dropping in a LabVIEW virtual instrument (VI) that takes care of everything.
Currently, LabVIEW controls the robot’s motion over RS-485 and can read joint positions on the same serial network from the servo motors’ built-in potentiometers. While the robot is walking or moving, a rate gyro with acceleration and orientation information communicates with LabVIEW over an RS-232 serial connection so that the program modifies the walking gait to effectively balance
the robot in real time. 

Initially, interfacing with the servo motors and rate gyro was all that was needed for the robotic research platform. However, taking part in the July 2007 RoboCup competition required more sophisticated hardware and programming. Using the initial software developed, which enabled the robot to walk and balance itself, additional software was added to act as eyes, a brain, and communication. Since the robot must be completely autonomous and untethered during the RoboCup competition, a Web host controls the stop/start signals of the robot. All of the software on the robot runs under the LabVIEW Real-Time Module, which reduces overhead and frees up CPU time.

When generating mathematical formulations of robot locomotion, it can be difficult to visualize the results. Not only does LabVIEW allow for deployment of gaits generated in other computing software packages such as Mathematica or Microsoft Excel, but it also aids locomotion research by creating a graphic visualization of the motion of the robot. Using 3-D Picture Control, LabVIEW can simulate what the robot will look like when performing a generated gait. This saves in development
and research time since it can be laborious to setup and test gaits with physical hardware.

When ready to test robot locomotion on the physical
hardware, the robots artificial intelligence can be bypassed and emulated by a user-controlled joystick. The user acts as the robot’s eyes and brain, while the joystick acts as an interface to control the robots motion by sending
commands like walk, kick, dive, etc.

DARwIn’s soccer playing behavior control was created in just one week by one student, whereas other universities
around the world accomplishing the same task spend years with many students working on the code. In just one week, one student wrote the VIs that qualified DARwIn as the first and only U.S. humanoid robot for the international soccer competition RoboCup.