Work plan

The project will be composed of the following stages:

Stage 1 - Implementation using FRP

Since the FRP implementation is the primary focus of the project, and also the primary concern in terms of unknowns and risks, it will be the first stage.

1. Test program - Implementation of a simple robotic program using Yampa FRP, with the goal of assuring that Yampa is an appropriate framework for the project (no serious bugs or compilation problems, etc.).
2. Detailed design of the robot’s controlling program, using FRP abstractions. This design will be detailed enough to specify the robot’s entire operation, including the exact algorithms, rules for safety measures and other details not covered in the top-level design.
3. Detailed test specification for the robot’s design. The idea of writing the test spec at this stage is to help evoke ideas about possible flaws and problems in the design.
4. I/O modules - Implementation of the input/output modules for communication between the controlling program and the RMP (the robot platform), and for receiving video input from the USB video camera. The I/O modules must interface between Haskell (Yampa’s host language) and the USB devices.
5. Implementation of the design using Yampa. This may become the ‘heaviest’ part of the project, due to uncertainties in Yampa’s stability and performance, which may require multiple iterations of tweaking the implementation.
6. Testing the robot, according to the test spec.

Stage 2 - Implementation using another reactive language

At this stage we will select one of the other reactive programming languages and environments (Simulink, Microsoft Robotics Studio, Lucid Synchrone, or Erlang). The selection will be based on our experience implementing the robot in FRP.

Exactly as above, this stage will include design, implementation and testing.

Stage 3 - Comparison

At this stage we will compare the FRP design and implementation with the other one. The following points will be evaluated:

• Design tractability, clearness, and ease of analysis:
  • Use of generalized abstractions vs. specifically designed mechanisms.
  • Ability to reason about the design’s correctness and limitations.
  • Simplicity, in the sense of making it easy to explain the design to an uninvolved person with basic engineering skills.
• Implementation complexity:
  • Code size (lines of code).
  • Modularity and generality - percentage of the code that is reusable in a different, similar program.
  • Simplicity (in the same sense as for the design, above).
• Correctness: percentage of tests passed.
• Performance is not the focus of this project, but will be measured and noted, if time allows:
  • Latency in reaction to external stimuli.
  • Memory and CPU usage.

Stage 4 - Conclusion

At this stage we shall finish writing the required reports, and prepare the presentation and poster for the project.

Extensions: if time allows, we will improve the robot or add features not included in the original design.

Timetable

The planned timetable is as follows:

WBS	Name	Start	Finish	Work
1	Preliminary report corrections	Nov 15	Dec 2	13d
2	Preliminary Submission Date	Nov 22	Nov 22
3	Preliminary-Adviser Correction Date	Nov 29	Nov 29
4	Preliminary-Students Correction Date	Dec 6	Dec 6
5	Preliminary Evaluation Date	Nov 15	Nov 15
6	FRP	Dec 3	Feb 18	55d
6.1	Test program	Dec 3	Dec 9	5d
6.2	Detailed Design	Dec 10	Dec 23	10d
6.3	Test Specification	Dec 24	Dec 30	5d
6.4	I/O Modules	Dec 31	Jan 6	5d
6.5	Implementation	Jan 10	Feb 4	20d
6.6	Testing	Feb 7	Feb 18	10d
7	Exams	Jan 17	Feb 4	15d
8	Progress Submission Date	Mar 14	Mar 14
9	Progress-Adviser Correction Date	Mar 21	Mar 21
10	Progress-Students Correction Date	Apr 6	Apr 6
11	Progress Evaluation Date	Apr 11	Apr 11
12	Alternative Implementation	Feb 21	Apr 22	45d
12.1	Test program	Feb 21	Feb 25	5d
12.2	Detailed Design	Feb 28	Mar 4	5d
12.3	I/O Modules	Mar 7	Mar 18	10d
12.4	Implementation	Mar 21	Apr 8	15d
12.5	Testing	Apr 11	Apr 22	10d
13	Pesach	Mar 29	Apr 7	8d
14	Comparison	Apr 25	Apr 29	5d
15	Poster Date	May 2	May 1
16	Presentation Date	May 2	May 1
17	Corrections and bugfixes	May 2	Jun 10	30d
18	Final Submission Date	Aug 1	Aug 1
19	Final-Adviser Correction Date	Aug 8	Aug 8
20	Final-Students Correction Date	Aug 15	Aug 15
21	Final Evaluate Date	Aug 22	Aug 22