Microsoft Releases New Robot-Building Software

Do you want to build a robot for use in healthcare, well here’s some software that might be of help. Also from the website, check out the RoboChamps Urban Challenge, very similar to DARPA’s Urban Challenge, the creation and use to Autonomous Cars, so in time we may just be having vehicles that will be capable of driving those folks home to have had too much to drink for a simple example.

Check out the related reading below and see what Los Angeles/USC County hospital is doing with robots. BD

(PhysOrg.com) -- As part of its belief that robotics is an important emerging technology, Microsoft has released Robotics Developer Studio 2008, a software program that enables users to create applications for robots.

The new software, which Microsoft unveiled at the RoboDevelopment Conference and Expo in Santa Clara, Calif., this week, is the third edition of the company´s robot-building platform. Microsoft says previous versions of the software have been downloaded 250,000 times, and more than 60 companies currently use the software for developing commercial robots.

Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio 2008
Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio 2008 is released. You can download the Express Edition at no cost, or purchase the Standard Edition. The Academic Edition can be obtained through MSDNAA. The release contains a number of exciting new features as well as many new samples and tutorials. For a complete list, please see What’s New.

CCR and DSS Toolkit 2008
Microsoft has announced the availability of the CCR and DSS Toolkit 2008. Originally part of the Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio (RDS), the CCR and DSS Toolkit can now be purchased as a separate product. The Toolkit is a set of high-performance class libraries that enable developers to write concurrent and distributed applications. CCR and DSS will still be distributed as part of RDS, but this new product enables the Toolkit to be licensed for non-robotic scenarios. Read more including Case Studies.

RoboChamps Urban Challenge
Microsoft recently announced the launch of the RoboChamps Urban Challenge, sponsored by KIA Motors. Similar to the real-world DARPA Urban Challenge, participants will be tasked with programming a robotic car to navigate to a series of checkpoints in an urban environment. The vehicles must obey traffic lights, avoid other cars and stay on the road. The cars must drive autonomously using only the available sensors, i.e. no human intervention is allowed. The first prize is a real car - a KIA Soul! Second prize is $10,000 and third prize is $5,000.

Microsoft Releases New Robot-Building Software