SURC

The Soldier Universal robot Controller (SURC) is a piece of software designed to enable operators to simultaneously task, monitor, and control multiple heterogeneous unmanned vehicles from a single controller. It is a module software architecture which enables developers to seamlessly integrate robot specific modules into all aspects for the User Interface.

Several different standard modules exist for SURC: Transport, Capabilities, World Model, Mobility, Tactical, and UI. The Transport module handles the translation from the SURC protocol (custom XML) to specific robot architectures. Currently, one transport module exists for the JAUS protocol. The Capabilities module keeps track of the robots and services within the system. The World Model module is the storage for the objects that exist and are known about in the world. The Mobility module handles path planning, and the Tactical module keeps track of and handles all of the mission planning and management. Finally, the UI module is the interface to the user.