ICub coding basics

Refer to RobotCub software to learn how to install, compile and update RobotCub software with Subversion (SVN). Below we will link to tutorials that are useful for people starting up with iCub and YARP coding.

General guides

Highly recommended:

• http://eris.liralab.it/wiki/Summary_of_iCub_Software_Development_Guidelines
• http://eris.liralab.it/wiki/ICub_Documentation_Guidelines
• http://eris.liralab.it/wiki/ICub_File_Organization_Guidelines

Specific tutorials

• Tutorials on motor commands and basic image processing: http://eris.liralab.it/wiki/ICub_Tutorials

Resource Finder

• http://eris.liralab.it/wiki/Resource_finder_overview
• RFModule class documentation (new version of Module class): http://eris.liralab.it/yarpdoc/d9/d26/classyarp_1_1os_1_1RFModule.html
• Using the RFModule helper class to write a program: http://eris.liralab.it/iCub/main/dox/html/icub_resource_finder_basic.html and http://eris.liralab.it/iCub/dox/main/html/icub_resource_finder_advanced.html

YARP ports

• basic: http://eris.liralab.it/yarpdoc/df/d05/note_ports.html
• advanced: http://eris.liralab.it/yarpdoc/db/dfb/port_expert.html
• Bottle class, useful for exchanging data among modules: http://eris.liralab.it/yarpdoc/d3/d3e/classyarp_1_1os_1_1Bottle.html#_details

Examples of modules

The following are good examples of modules from the iCub repository that are generally compliant with iCub configuration guidelines (RFModule class), coding standards and documentation standards.

myModule

A simple example to illustrate a module that is compliant with iCub Software Standards, addressing:

• configuration
• graceful shut-down
• thread-based execution
• run-time user interaction
• documentation and coding standards

Functionally, the module just converts an input image to a binary image based on a supplied threshold.

• http://eris.liralab.it/wiki/The_myModule_Example (referred to at the bottom of the Summary of iCub Software Development Guidelines)
• http://robotcub.svn.sf.net/viewvc/robotcub/trunk/iCub/src/myModule/

Auto-Associative (Episodic) Memory

The Auto-Associative Memory (AAM) module, also known as Episodic Memory, effects the following functionality:

• when an image is presented to the memory, it attempts to recall that image;
• if a previously-stored image matches the presented image sufficiently well, the stored image is recalled;
• if no previously-stored image matches sufficiently well, the presented image is saved.

For details and source, see:

• http://robotcub.svn.sf.net/viewvc/robotcub/trunk/iCub/src/autoAssociativeMemory/
• http://robotcub.svn.sf.net/viewvc/robotcub/trunk/iCub/src/demoAAM/
• http://eris.liralab.it/wiki/Auto-associative_Memory_Specification

crossPowerSpectrumVergence

Compute histogram of disparity values and select the local maximum value which corresponds to the regions closest to the cameras to control vergence.

• http://robotcub.svn.sf.net/viewvc/robotcub/trunk/iCub/src/crossPowerSpectrumVergence/

logPolarTransform

Perform a log-polar transform on an input image and generate a transformed output image.

The direction of the transform, from Cartesian to log-polar or vice versa, is specified by a flag in the configuration file. The default direction is Cartesian to log-polar. The parameters of the transform, i.e., the number of angles, the number of rings, and the overlap of the receptive fields are specified in the configuration file.

• http://robotcub.svn.sf.net/viewvc/robotcub/trunk/iCub/src/logPolarTransform/

rectification

Rectify two images generated by two verging cameras to remove the epipolar distortion.

In addition to rectifying the images as detailed in Dankers et al. 2004, we also shift the right image with respect to the left image to compensate for differences in the positions of the principal points in the left and right images.

• http://robotcub.svn.sf.net/viewvc/robotcub/trunk/iCub/src/rectification/

See also

• How to write a module
• iCub Software Module Documentation template
• List of documented iCub modules
• Application Documentation template: adding a Doxygen file to your application main directory, i.e., app/myApplication
• List of documented applications
• Software interface: standard port names for hardware devices