SimSpark
Encyclopedia
SimSpark is a generic simulation system for various multiagent simulations. It supports developing physical simulations for AI and robotics research with an open-source application framework. It is commonly used in academic research and education.
in Koblenz
, Germany
.
SimSpark was registered with SourceForge
in 2004 and has an established code base with development increasing year-over-year.
or TCP
, and therefore can be implemented in any language that supports such sockets. Multiple software agents can participate in one simulation.
Simulations are created within the server using the Ruby
language and text-based RSG files.
SimSpark uses the Open Dynamics Engine
(ODE) for detecting collisions and for simulating rigid body dynamics. ODE allows accurate simulation of the physical properties of objects such as velocity, inertia and friction.
3D Soccer Simulation League
. In this simulation two teams play soccer with rules similar to regular soccer. The robots use simulated cameras and other sensors such as accelerometers, gyros and touch and audio sensors. Software agents process signals from these sensors (also known as perceptors) and generate control signals for the 22 hinges within each robot's body in order to achieve whatever forms of motion are required to win a game of soccer.
The original soccer robot model was known as soccerbot, but since 2008 it has been replaced with a Nao robot
inspired model.
History
The SimSpark project started in 2003 and was based on the building blocks of the Spark project. It was initially developed by Marco Kögler and Oliver Obst at the University of Koblenz-LandauUniversity of Koblenz and Landau
The University of Koblenz-Landau is a university located in Koblenz and Landau, Germany. It was founded in 1990.-History and profile:...
in Koblenz
Koblenz
Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
SimSpark was registered with SourceForge
SourceForge
SourceForge Enterprise Edition is a collaborative revision control and software development management system. It provides a front-end to a range of software development lifecycle services and integrates with a number of free software / open source software applications .While originally itself...
in 2004 and has an established code base with development increasing year-over-year.
Architecture
Agents communicate with the simulation server via UDPUser Datagram Protocol
The User Datagram Protocol is one of the core members of the Internet Protocol Suite, the set of network protocols used for the Internet. With UDP, computer applications can send messages, in this case referred to as datagrams, to other hosts on an Internet Protocol network without requiring...
or TCP
Transmission Control Protocol
The Transmission Control Protocol is one of the core protocols of the Internet Protocol Suite. TCP is one of the two original components of the suite, complementing the Internet Protocol , and therefore the entire suite is commonly referred to as TCP/IP...
, and therefore can be implemented in any language that supports such sockets. Multiple software agents can participate in one simulation.
Simulations are created within the server using the Ruby
Ruby (programming language)
Ruby is a dynamic, reflective, general-purpose object-oriented programming language that combines syntax inspired by Perl with Smalltalk-like features. Ruby originated in Japan during the mid-1990s and was first developed and designed by Yukihiro "Matz" Matsumoto...
language and text-based RSG files.
SimSpark uses the Open Dynamics Engine
Open Dynamics Engine
The Open Dynamics Engine is a physics engine in C/C++. Its two main components are a rigid body dynamics simulation engine and a collision detection engine...
(ODE) for detecting collisions and for simulating rigid body dynamics. ODE allows accurate simulation of the physical properties of objects such as velocity, inertia and friction.
Use in RoboCup
SimSpark is the simulation engine for the RoboCupRoboCup
RoboCup is an international robotics competition founded in 1997. The aim is to develop autonomous soccer robots with the intention of promoting research and education in the field of artificial intelligence...
3D Soccer Simulation League
RoboCup 3D Soccer Simulation League
The RoboCup 3D Simulated Soccer League allows software agents to control humanoid robots to compete against one another in a realistic simulation of the rules and physics of a game of soccer. The platform strives to reproduce the software programming challenges faced when building real physical...
. In this simulation two teams play soccer with rules similar to regular soccer. The robots use simulated cameras and other sensors such as accelerometers, gyros and touch and audio sensors. Software agents process signals from these sensors (also known as perceptors) and generate control signals for the 22 hinges within each robot's body in order to achieve whatever forms of motion are required to win a game of soccer.
The original soccer robot model was known as soccerbot, but since 2008 it has been replaced with a Nao robot
Nao (robot)
Nao is an autonomous, programmable, medium-sized humanoid robot, developed by Aldebaran Robotics, a French startup company headquartered in Paris. Project Nao was launched in 2004. On August 15, 2007, Nao replaced Sony's robot dog Aibo as the robot used in the Robot Soccer World Cup Standard...
inspired model.