Context
Component-based approaches allow handling structural and behavioral complexity of systems. This simplifies their development, and allows validation of dynamic adaption or reconfiguration. More specifically, the Bip framework [1] at Verimag permits developing correct-by-construction component-based systems, thus enforcing requirements on their safety and deadlock-freedom. Its recent extension Dr-Bip [2] supports structural organization into component groups and dynamic reconfigurations.
The internship is performed in the context of the French ANR project ADAPT “Adapt hierarchical component-based systems dynamically”. Using the Dr-Bip framework, the project targets the design of large systems from small modular robots such as Blinky Blocks aiming to contribute to programmable matter concepts. Intuitively, the programmable matter intents to create materials composed of micro-robots, which can be programmed to change their shape and/or their physical properties.
Challenges and Goals
The use of frameworks such as Bip and Dr-Bip for designing modular robots is challenging because of (i) the potentially big number of robots and the complexity of their organizations, (ii) the interplay of functional (i.e., robot programs, networking) and extra-functional (i.e., power consumption, timing, physical) aspects for accurate system-level modeling and (iii) the scaling up of existing platforms and tools for simulation and validation.
The goal of this internship is to perform a detailed assessment of the current usability of the Bip and Dr-Bip frameworks for modeling and simulating modular robots, notably by
- constructing functional Bip and Dr-Bip abstract models of Blinky Blocks,
- performing simulations for different configurations and identifying the bottlenecks,
- developing Bip, Dr-Bip extensions and/or alternative modelings for scaling up.
How to Apply
Send your CV and a letter of intent to mailto:Marius.Bozga@univ-grenoble-alpes.fr.
References
[1] A. Basu, S. Bensalem, M. Bozga, J. Combaz, M. Jaber, T-H. Nguyen, J. Sifakis: Rigorous Component-Based System Design Using the BIP Framework. IEEE Softw. 28(3): 41-48 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1109/MS.2011.27
[2] R. El Ballouli, S. Bensalem, M. Bozga, J. Sifakis: Programming dynamic reconfigurable systems. Int. J. Softw. Tools Technol. Transf. 23(5): 701-719 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10009-020-00596-7
