Abstract:

This paper proposes a generic framework for test driven development of robotic systems. The framework provides functionalities for developing and running unit tests in a language and middleware independent manner. Tests are developed as independent plug-ins to be loaded and executed by an automated tool. Moreover, a fixture manager prepares the setup (e.g., running robot drivers or simulator) and actively monitors that all the required resources are available before and during the execution of the tests. These functionalities effectively accelerate the development process and cover different levels of robotic system testing. The paper describes the framework and provides realistic examples to show how it has been used to support software development on our robotic platform.