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| Paper: |
March of the Starbugs: Configuring Fiber-bearing Robots on the UK-Schmidt Optical Plane |
| Volume: |
495, Astronomical Data Analysis Software and Systems XXIV (ADASS XXIV) |
| Page: |
265 |
| Authors: |
Lorente, N. P. F.; Vuong, M.; Satorre, C.; Hong, S. E.; Shortridge, K.; Goodwin, M.; Kuehn, K. |
| Abstract: |
The TAIPAN instrument, currently being developed for the Australian Astronomical Observatory's UK
Schmidt telescope at Siding Spring Observatory, makes use of the AAO's Starbug technology to deploy
150 science fibers to target positions on the optical plane. This paper describes the software
system for controlling and deploying the fiber-bearing Starbug robots. The TAIPAN software is
responsible for allocating each Starbug to its next target position based on its current position
and the distribution of targets, finding a collision-free path for each Starbug, and then
simultaneously controlling the Starbug hardware in a closed loop, with a metrology camera used to
determine the position of each Starbug in the field during reconfiguration. The software is written
in C++ and Java and employs a DRAMA middleware layer (Farrell et al. 1995). |
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